My Little Teelo: Masquerade
by Ardwolf
Summary: Her third trip to Equestria was supposed to be dull, just "cultural summer school" writ large. Too bad neither Teelo nor the civil services of two different Equestrian governments had anticipated her best friend's unswerving loyalty, an ancient enemy's patient attention to detail, or Crush's flair for spectacularly gruesome efficiency. It was going to be a long summer...
1. 01 The Art Of Diplomacy

Her third trip to Equestria was supposed to be dull, just "cultural summer school" writ large. Dozens of dedicated bureaucrats had burned the midnight candle to insure that this would be the case. After all, _no one_, including her, wanted too much excitement this time.

So it was too bad that neither Teelo nor the civil services of _two_ Equestrian governments had anticipated her best friend's unswerving loyalty, an ancient enemy's patient attention to detail, or Crush's flair for spectacularly gruesome efficiency.

Now Teelo has to survive a heaping helping of excitement—while making sure the United States government and the citizens of three empires, five countries and two planets remain blissfully unaware of what's really going on.

It was going to be a _long _summer…

This is a 'human goes to Equestria' story. It takes place approximately five months after _My Little Teelo: Winter's Silence_.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own and did not create _My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic_. It belongs to the Hub cable TV network and Hasbro. My congratulations to Lauren Faust for taking what would have been nothing more than a blatant toy commercial and turning it into a truly epic series, one worth viewing by all ages.

I didn't write this story for profit. It is merely intended to entertain any reader who stumbles upon it. I hope my poor attempt has some merit in the eyes of those who read it, and if not, well at least I tried. J

**Author's Note:** I'd like to thank GoldenGriffiness for being my beta-reader. As always, her input was critically important for improving the quality of the story. And of course, any remaining errors are, alas, mine and mine alone.

I took the liberty of incorporating places mentioned on a map of Equestria created by Hlissner over on Deviant Art. It really is an amazing piece of artwork. It's hosted on Equestria Daily and is the first entry on Google for "Map of Equestria" if you're curious.

Laoise is pronounced LEE-sha. Gotta love Gaelic…

**Chapter 1 – The Art of Diplomacy**

_In which we discover the humble pen can shape the destiny of worlds._

* * *

She sat on her throne, outwardly serene, the sounds of a contented hive murmuring around her. But in her private thoughts, carefully shielded from her children, she grieved for the ones who perished in the attempt to secure her hive's future. It had been almost a year now but the pain still made her scream _inside_ her head where her children could not hear her.

So manylost, so many who would never join their thoughts to hers in glorious communion! Over half the hive lost! All for _nothing._

It wasn't like those ponies couldn't spare it, either! They positively _dripped_ with endless bounty, they _wasted_ it! They didn't appreciate what they had and cast it away without a second thought, _every single day_.

Why shouldn't her children enjoy the bounty others simply threw away?

So she had deceived the ponies, so what? She had plotted and schemed to secure the true riches of Equestria for herself and her children. Of _course_ she had! They deserved to live, didn't they? How was it any different for them than for those ponies? How was it fair they starved while the ponies grew fat?

Ever since The Change she and her children had been reduced to living off scraps, furtively stealing a bare existence, always on the edge of oblivion, always just one day away from the final darkness.

Her mind automatically skittered away from thinking about The Change. It was too painful. Any attempt to remember brought a screaming migraine that incapacitated not only her, but all her children as well.

Which meant The Change was a mystery lost in time. She was the only survivor of that day, now thousands of years in the past, and it was dangerous to even try remembering it. So she didn't. Even the knowledge of why she and her children suffered was denied her.

Her reverie was broken by an unexpected eddy in the flow of magic. She felt the disturbance cross a second ward, then a third, seemingly invisible to the hundreds of drones it slipped past. It could only mean one thing…

_Intruder!_

The calm hum of wings became a terrifying roar as her alarm call flashed outward. But even as the hive snapped into violent alertness the intruder's pace never varied. It was as though it was oblivious to the rage seeking to find it.

Her elite guards, twice the size of a normal drone, clustered in front of her, eagerly awaiting the enemy's appearance. They were nearly mindless, driven only by animal instinct and her imposed will. But they were swift and deadly and utterly obedient. She drew comfort from their presence even as she readied her own magic to repel the interloper.

"It's here." She whispered abruptly, eyes narrowing. Eager eyes scanned the chamber, but found nothing amiss. Her guards' agitation grew in lock-step with her own.

A chill wind sprang up from nowhere, whipping her scraggly mane about and whistling eerily through the openings in her legs. She shivered from the intimate icy caress.

"Enough! Show yourself cur! How _dare_ you take such liberties with a queen?" Her incensed growl echoed around the chamber, easily overriding the thunderous roar of her guards' wings.

"_As you wish, Your Majesty._"

The faint whisper echoed unnaturally around the chamber, easily audible, even above the sound of enraged wings. The sound was that of claws on a chalkboard. It was so faint it should have been impossible to hear.

She truly wished it had been. The chittering screech left her feeling unclean, as though something had crawled in her ear and died.

Pale blue mist began to gather in front of her throne. The swirling vortex quickly resolved itself in a faintly glowing horse, gaunt to the point of starvation, ribs clearly visible under its translucent flesh. The spectre had glowing eyes so flat and dead she could not meet its gaze and had to avert her eyes.

She could see through the creature, which was nothing but glowing fog. In place of hooves there were jagged stumps that constantly oozed tattered mist. Its ragged breath puffed from flared nostrils, little puffs of blue steam. The temperature of the throne room began to fall sharply.

_Wendigo_.

Sick horror knotted her belly, but she allowed nothing to show on her face. This was _her_ place. Here, her word was law. Here she was invincible. She would not give this foul undead thing the satisfaction of seeing the fear and loathing it inspired.

Her guards remained unaffected, nothing more than mindless killing machines. Her will was their only motivation; there was no room in them for fear. She forced herself to relax as she spoke to the abomination.

"Why are you here?" The ice in her tone matched the chill of her visitor's empty blank stare.

"_My Master sends his greetings, Great Queen._" She fought a shudder as that horrible voice wormed its way into her soul. "_He has heard of the misfortune visited upon you. He sends a gift to comfort you in your time of mourning. It is his hope you are able to use it to ease your pain."_

A scroll slid noiselessly from the wendigo's mouth, floating on a cloud of its breath toward her.

Warily she lit her misshapen horn and took the scroll before it could come near her, levitating it with her magic to keep it at a safe distance. She frowned at its odd appearance, lime green and strangely fuzzy, encrusted with ice.

Using her magic she forced the stiff and frozen thing to unroll. Her stomach roiled as she recognized just exactly what the scroll had been made from.

Quickly she spun the open scroll in mid air to confirm her suspicions. Bile rose in the back of her throat as she saw the colorful design on the back of the scroll, a drafting compass superimposed on what was clearly a map.

_I hate them, every single gluttonous wastrel one of them, but I would _never_ do this!_ Her stomach lurched again.

"Why?" She asked in a tight voice as she shook the scroll at the creature. "Why make a scroll from _this?_"

_"The previous owner had no further use for it."_ The wendigo replied. "_However the gift is not the scroll itself but rather what is written on it. You will find it intriguing."_

Reluctantly she spun the scroll back to face her and studied it. Flayed hide, raw and untreated met her horrified gaze. The writing shone with the sickly red glow of enchanted blood, she could even see where it had run in places.

Forcing her rebellious stomach to settle she started reading, hoping the message would make up for the horrible cost of the writing material it was inscribed on. She was so shaken it took her two attempts to make sense of the message.

But when she finally did her eyes widened and a genuine smile appeared on her face. It almost made her forget what the scroll in front of her represented.

"Your master guarantees the accuracy of this information?" She asked the Wendigo eagerly.

"_He does, Your Majesty."_

"And what does your Master want in return?"

"_Nothing._" The Wendigo answered. "_It is a gift, freely given."_

"Who is your Master, undead spirit?" She asked, thoughts racing.

"_I am not permitted to say." _The spirit replied. "_He feels it would be discourteous to impose any further during your time of grief. Farewell, Great Queen. My Master offers his condolences for your loss."_

Bowing, the wendigo promptly lost its shape, fading from view even as it flowed toward the exit. She watched as it left the hive, its presence invisible save for the disturbance it made as it crossed each ward. When it crossed the outermost one she finally relaxed, sending a soothing message to the rest of the swarm, which began to slowly settle back into the routine of a contented hive again.

She reread the grisly message a third time, then sat lost in thought. The scroll sank to the floor, ignored, landing with a wet plop. There was silence in the chamber for several minutes.

When she finally roused herself her eyes were dancing and a huge grin bared her fangs. Her laughter echoed from the walls as she summoned her advisors.

ooOoo

"This sucks, Teelo." Emma groused, pushing her peas around her plate without actually eating any. "It's the last day of school, and I won't get to see you all summer! Why does it have to be so far away? Besides, your grades are _great_, way better than mine! You don't even need summer school."

"It's not that kind of school, Emma." Teelo said patiently. "It's a kind of advanced prep school thing. I can't really tell you much about it, and if it wasn't for being so far from home, and lasting all summer, I'd really be stoked about it."

"This is because of _January,_ isn't it?" Emma asked in a low voice, glancing around.

"Sort of." Teelo lowered her own voice, but it was clear she was amused. "That was—different. This is sort of because of that, but in a good way. You know I can't say much."

"I know." Emma made a face at her peas. "Gah! It's the start of summer. Why did I get _peas? _I don't really like peas."

"Into every life a few peas must fall." Teelo said portentously, and then giggled. "They aren't _that_ bad. Besides, you could have picked the carrots instead."

Emma made another face. "Hello? Have you _seen_ the carrots here? They're like mush. Ugly, _nasty_ mush." She dropped her fork on the plate. "You mind if I come over to your house for a while?"

"Sure. You can help me pack." Teelo said, smiling at her friend.

"That's right, put me to work. Any chance I could sleep over?"

Teelo shook her head regretfully. "I wish. But I'll be leaving at three in the morning, so there won't be time. It's best if you aren't there—trust me."

"I know, I know. You've told me over and over. _What I don't know I can't tell anyone._" She rolled her eyes. "It's just so _frustrating, _you know?"

"I know." Teelo said sympathetically. "If the stakes weren't so high I'd tell you in a heartbeat. You _know_ that. But I don't want you involved when you don't have to be. You're too important to me."

"Jeez, play the guilt card why don't you? How am I supposed to argue against _that?_"

"You aren't." Teelo grinned. "You're my best friend, Emma. I have to keep you safe. And the only way I can do that is make sure you're nowhere near this stuff."

"I just want to _help_. You're important to me too, you know." Emma blinked, on the edge of tears.

"Yeah, I know." Teelo said seriously. "Don't start crying you'll get me started too, you loon. So cheer up!"

"I will if you will—Squirt." Emma said with a sudden impish grin.

Teelo just shook her head and started chuckling.

ooOoo

"We had thought this matter settled, Snøskred." Princess Luna said, letting a precisely measured tinge of irritation creep into her voice. "We will gladly open the Bridge of Days for the Dronning, and provide a wing of the Sun Shield as escort. We also agreed to transport her personal guards so they could be present at the opening. Thee know firsthand the limitations of our chariots when it comes to thy species! It is a matter of _weight_, Snøskred. We have very few chariots that can transport a fully grown troll. Now thee wants to add her entire retinue to the Bridge opening? It is simply not possible!"

"Sun Hammer faces the same problem as a troll, does he not?" The Snøskred rumbled. In this private audience he discarded the normal trollish bristling. The two had enough of a history it no longer fooled the alicorn, and she was sharp enough he was glad to forgo the effort, needing his undivided attention for negotiations.

"Sun Hammer has his own chariot, it is his personal property." Luna said patiently. "Thee know this full well, so stop thy prattle. It takes four pegasi to pull a troll in a chariot. Her retinue consists of _thirty_ trolls, Snøskred! That is five additional wings of the Sun Shield! As dear as Lady Teagan is to Equestria there are _limits_ to the aid we can provide in times of peace. The Sun Shield have many other duties they must attend."

"What if the retinue took the train to Ponyville then? Trolls are well accustomed to long marches; it would be no hardship to walk from Ponyville to the Bridge, even through the Everfree Forest."

"There is no _time_." The princess snorted. "The train takes two hours to reach Ponyville and it is a further hour's trot to the Bridge on foot. A chariot can make the entire journey in a mere forty minutes. Even if a train were ready to depart this moment the Bridge opening is only two hours hence. No trains are even bound for Ponyville today. If thee had truly wanted such a solution thou wouldst have proposed it long ago. So what prompts this complete waste of breath, Snøskred?"

The ambassador permitted himself a small smile.

"The Kongen thought of it three days ago, Your Highness. One of our fastest runners was dispatched with the message, but we only received it two hours ago. My apologies, but the circumstances were beyond my control."

"Ah." The dark blue alicorn pondered that. "We understand, and ask thy pardon, Snøskred. Truly, thou art blameless in this. Still, as much as we wish it were otherwise, we are unable to honor the Kongen's wishes in this matter. But let us see what might be done."

Her horn lit up to summon a page.

"The World Below thanks you for your efforts, Highness." The troll said smoothly.

ooOoo

"Rådgiver Sannheten, you asked to be informed of any changes to the Dronning's itinerary." A troll stood respectfully at the entrance of the councilor's office, a lavishly engraved cavern hewn from the bedrock, part of the Borgen, the main administrative complex of Hejm. The troll's silver and black harness gleamed with green highlights in the light of the lys-mose which covered the ceiling.

"Yes, Side Vang?" The old troll looked up from a spread of scrolls on the stone of his desk.

"The Kongen dispatched a runner to Canterlot yesterday, requesting the Dronning's entire retinue greet her at the _Regnbuebroen_ upon her return. The runner should arrive the day after tomorrow."

"I see. I must commend you on the speed of your discovery, Side Vang. Alas, aside from you, my sources of information are not what they once were."

The other troll bowed his head respectfully. "_Berggrunnen har fast, __Rådgiver_." He left, leaving the old troll staring into space, contemplating the news.

_The bedrock holds fast? I do wonder. _The old troll winced at the direction his thoughts were taking.

_ The Kongen rules without Mountain Heart, but with the blessing of the Dronning, who is not even a troll, yet _is_ bound to Mountain Heart. The Kongen has taken a wife who is not the Dronning, and Alene Avgrunn has said this is lawful and proper._

_Yet the Dronning names the pony who slew the old Kongen as friend. And Kongen Fjell has forgiven him that murder and seeks vengence no longer._

_We are even to fogive the ponies their tresspass and welcome them as friends, by the will of the Dronning! Because the ponies are part of her clan, for all they are not her species! And so they become part of the World Below by clan right, though they be not trolls._

_The bedrock is falling away and I despair for the future of the World Below. Yet the bitter truth is it was I who triggered this landslide we find ourselves in. The world is moving far too quickly now. I can not keep up—I will be buried._

The old troll closed his eyes and sighed, feeling the weight of the mountain above him. He was so tired. Certainty had fled a decade ago with the old Kongen's death and he feared he would not live to see the end of the landslide he had set in motion.

_What have I done? By all that is sacred, what have I done?_


	2. 02 Final Preparations

**Chapter 2 – Final Preparations**

_In which we discover our heroine is not the only one who is preparing for her arrival in Equestria._

* * *

"So, what do you have to pack?" Emma asked as the two girls walked into Teagan's room. "You're going to be gone all summer—I bet your suitcases are _huge_. How many are you taking?"

"None, actually. Oh, and I fibbed just a bit, I'm already packed. I just wanted to hang with you for a while since I won't see you till September. Plus, I wanted to ask a favor."

"Favor?" Emma asked, puzzled.

"Yeah." Teagan paused, unsure of how to word it. "It's—look, I know this whole secrecy thing really sucks for you, and you've been an absolute _saint_ about not asking me questions and you have no idea how much I appreciate it. You've gone above and beyond what even a _best_ friend should have to put up with."

"Uh huh. This is not news, Teelo." Emma said, grinning.

"Yeah. What I'm trying to say is that sometimes I'm afraid you think I don't trust you. But I do, Emma. It's just that this whole thing is bigger than me and you. If anyone found out the truth a lot of very good people could get in horrible trouble. If it wasn't for them I would be _dead_ right now, Emma. _Dead_. That's not an exaggeration. I owe them my life, you understand? So I owe it to them to keep the secret."

Emma blinked, taken aback by the look on Teagan's face.

"Whoa, wait a minute. I know that freak show was crazy, but—he tried to kill you?"

Teagan nodded. "Twice—at least—and it wasn't _just_ me. Flu—that girl I talked about? You remember? There were others too. So it's not that I don't want to tell you, I honestly _can't_."

"Hey, you already told me this back in January." Emma said, holding up her hands. "I know it's a big deal and I'm ok with it."

"Yeah, but I need to do something to prove I trust you." She went to her closet and retrieved something from the top shelf, having to strain to reach it. She brought it back and laid it on the bed next to Emma.

"What is it?" Emma asked, staring at the cloth-wrapped bundle.

"My friends gave it to me as a keepsake." Teagan said, resting her hand on the bundle. "I want you to keep it safe for me while I'm gone this summer. It's the most precious thing I own, Emma. I trust you. I really, _really_ trust you."

"Wow." Emma stared at the bundle, shocked. "Um, can I see it?"

"Well, _duh_." Teagan laughed as she carefully unwrapped the bundle to reveal a narrow wooden box a little over a foot long and about three inches square.

"Oh, that's so pretty!" Emma exclaimed. "All that carving, it's amazing."

"You have no idea." Teagan said, running her hand along the lid. "They told me the artist made it especially for me. It look her nearly two weeks just to do the carvings. But that's not the most amazing part. The box, the lid, and the hinges connecting them were carved from a single solid piece of wood—and it's _still _one piece, even though it moves."

"No way! That's unbelievable." Emma looked down at the box in awe. "No wonder it's your most precious possession."

"Oh, that's not the half of it. Look _inside_, Emma." Teagan was regarding the box with a warm smile.

"I'm afraid to touch it. What if I break it?" Emma said

Teagan laughed and unlatched the lid, showing her friend how the shining fasteners worked. "These are real gold, by the way."

"You're kidding." Emma was beyond surprise now.

"I swear."

"This thing must be worth a fortune, Teelo!"

"I guess it is. Go ahead. Open the lid."

Trying to keep her hand from trembling Emma finally worked up the courage and gently lifted the lid. She didn't let go until it was safely touching the back of the box. The inside of the box consisted of ten compartments, lined with padded while silk so brilliant it nearly glowed. Nestled carefully in each compartment was a miniature figurine.

Emma's brow wrinkled in perplexity.

"Teelo, what are these?"

"Statuettes." Teelo replied. "The body of each one is a different semi-precious stone. The eyes and other details are made with real gems. I'm told they weren't glued together, either. I have no idea how the artist did it."

Emma carefully picked up a bright purple statuette. "Is this a lizard? Why's it upright?"

"It's a baby dragon." Teagan couldn't help snickering, thinking of how Spike would react to being called a lizard.

"Huh. All these little details are amazing. You almost need a magnifying glass to even _see_ everything. I can't imagine _making_ something like this."

She reverently returned the statuette to its compartment and leaned forward so she could see the rest of the figurines.

"Is that a horse?" She asked, pulling out a roan colored figurine. "Wearing an _eye patch?_ What in the world? Is this a pirate horse or something?"

Teagan lost it, breaking into gales of laughter and falling back on the bed. She could imageSun Hammer as a pirate, bellowing: "Arr, me hardies! Avast and all that there bilge blether, so it be!"

"I'm glad I made you laugh, but seriously. What are these? I mean I can see horses, and unicorns and some of them have wings so I guess they're pegasuses, but the bigger ones I haven't a clue. Winged unicorns? Pega-corns maybe? Uni-suses?"

Teagan snickered, but tried to control herself when Emma glared.

"Are you going to tell me, or just laugh at me?"

"Ok, I'll have mercy on you." She carefully took Sun Hammer's figurine from her friend.

"Emma, meet Sun Hammer, Keeper of the Armory, Hero of the Crown and Champion of the Sun. He's a fierce pony with a Scottish accent and a take-no-prisoners attitude. Do not mess with him or those he loves."

"Uh, what? Teelo, seriously, what?"

"He's from Equestria." Teagan explained.

"What's Equestria?" Emma asked patiently.

"Seriously? You never heard of Equestria? _My Little Pony?_"

"_My Lit—_you mean that cartoon for little girls?" Emma asked in disbelief, raising her eyebrows.

"Yeah. But it's not just for little girls anymore. Trust me."

"So let me get this straight. Your friends, who are really powerful people in their government, gave you a _custom made_ set of _My Little Ponies_ that cost a _fortune?_" Emma asked in disbelief. "_Seriously_? What the _hell_, Teelo?"

"Like I said, it's a keepsake to remember them by." Teagan put the Sun Hammer figurine back, a fond smile on her face.

"Well unless they're horses I can't imagine why they'd choose this for a keepsake." Emma retorted.

Teagan barked a short laugh.

"Um, let's just say there was a good reason. I can't say why without revealing a secret, so I'll just say it made me cry when they gave me this. Keep it safe for me, ok?"

Emma studied her friend, who was no longer smiling. Emma wondered what she was thinking about. Sometimes Teelo seemed completely normal, but occasionally she'd grow quiet and watchful. Or say the most outrageous things as if they were utterly commonplace. Like right now.

But Emma trusted her friend.

"All right, Teelo. I promise I'll keep it safe." She answered firmly.

She left a little after nine o'clock, taking the keepsake with her.

ooOoo

"Are you ready, Sun Hammer?" Subtle Dancer asked, breathing deeply as he readied himself for the strenuous task ahead.

"Aye, ye great walkin' spindle." Sun Hammer grumbled. "Tis ower early, and that's a fact. Twill be fower hours till Celestia opens her blessed eyes, much less stirs herself, so it be."

"Three hours 19 minutes." The unicorn corrected him absently.

"Oh, aye? Nou ye be a bletherin' pocket watch an' all?" The gigantic earth pony snorted. "Open the daft thing an' let me gae fetch the lassie. Maybe catch forty winks while we're waitin' tae come back."

"Somebody got up on the wrong side of the stall this morning." Subtle Hammer retorted with a deliberately vulgar expression.

Sun Hammer snorted in amusement.

"Aye, keep that up an' we'll hae ye speakin' proper in nae time a tall! An jus' so ye ken, Subtle Dancer, A should be in that _stall_ yet!"

The unicorn shook his head, knowing the irascible earth pony would insist on having the last word.

"It's time." The black unicorn levitated a pair of large gems with his magic, bringing them together before laying his horn on the pair. A single flare of silver light caused them to glow softly pale blue.

"All right, the timing stones are set." He let one stone fall gently in front of his hooves while he levitated the other into Sun Hammer's saddlebag. "Remember, I'll open the bridge again in four hours. Five minutes before then the stone will chime and begin to flash brightly. Five minutes after that it will chime again and the light will go out. That's when I'll start opening the gate."

"Aye, A do wish we'd o' had these the last time." Sun Hammer grunted.

Subtle Dancer didn't bother answering; he was too busy summoning the immense surge of magic it took to activate the Bridge of Days. As the flare from his horn turned blinding a speck of light appeared in mid air and rapidly spread to become a rainbow bordered hole seven feet across. Light poured out and Sun Hammer could see three humans on the other side, waiting for him. He trotted nonchalantly through the hole in reality as if it had been nothing more than a footbridge over a stream.

With a gasp of relief the unicorn released his magic, watching the hole rapidly shrink to a bright dot and disappear with a _pop_.

ooOoo

In the trees the watcher narrowed its eyes, leaving them slits of pale azure blue. Soundlessly it withdrew, its midnight black body rendering it nearly invisible in the pre-dawn darkness. A short two minute walk brought it to its queen. Silently it bowed, waiting.

_Well?_ The thought formed in its mind.

_It is as you were informed, Your Majesty. The unicorn opened a hole in the air and the giant earth pony went through it. After the hole closed the unicorn seemed very tired. He will open it again in four hours._

_Yes! _Her thought rang with triumph. _You have done well! You were not seen?_

_No, Majesty. The stupid ponies are standing _behind_ their ring of torches. It blinded them to anything in the trees._

_Good_. The queen reared from sheer excitement and broadcast a message to her swarm.

_When the unicorn opens the Bridge of Days in four hours time and has exhausted his magic we will strike. Be ready, my children! Vengeance begins today!_

The forest was completely silent, but the wild cheering thoughts of her children made her heart swell.

ooOoo

Emma was lying on her stomach in her pajamas with Teagan's keepsake open in front of her. She was staring at a white winged unicorn wearing a gold crown set with tiny gems.

"Who are you?" Emma asked the figurine whimsically. She'd been trying to figure out what the figurine represented. It was clearly royalty, but beyond that she hadn't a clue.

She froze in shock when the stone figuring in her hands _spread its wings and looked at her._ Flapping its wings it rose slowly in the air until it was hovering in front of her face.

"Greetings. I am Princess Celestia, co-ruler of the magical land of Equestria. But you already knew that, didn't you, Lady Teelo?" The very much _alive_ diminutive winged unicorn chuckled. "Gotcha!" It settled back onto her hands, folded its wings, and turned back to stone.

"Holy _crap!"_ She stared at the tiny stone statuette, unable to believe what had just happened. "That is not _possible. _It just—no. No, I did _not_ just see a statue come to life. I _didn't_."

She was afraid to move, acutely aware the sculpture in her hands was probably worth more than her parent's entire house, not to mention being Teelo's most prized possession. But she didn't want it touching her any more. Carefully she pulled her hands apart and let the figurine slip onto the covers. When she was sure it was safe she wriggled backward off the bed. Once on her feet she backed rapidly away, staring fixedly at the thing.

It lay there innocently, looking like nothing more than a tiny toy unicorn with wings, lying on its side. It didn't move, it didn't speak, and it didn't break the laws of reality. Emma eyed it carefully for five minutes.

When nothing happened she crept toward the bed, ready to bolt if the statue so much as blinked. Carefully she sat on the edge of the bed. When the statuette didn't react she took a deep breath and asked another question.

"_What_ are you?"

The statue came back to life, rolling onto its stomach and getting to its feet.

"It's just a little spell, Lady Teelo. There's only enough magic for a few tricks each day. Then it has to rest before the magic builds up again." The statue stiffened back into stone.

_Magic? There's no such thing as magic! Who could make something like this? Oh God, that's easy. NOBODY could make something like this! It's not possible!_

Taking another deep breath she addressed the statuette.

"Princess Celestia?"

The statue came to life. "Hello, Lady Teelo. I took the liberty of enchanting each of the figurines. Everyone was happy to model for the spells that animate these toys. We thought since you'd never see us again we should give you something to remember us by. Each figurine will respond to simple questions with short answers. Since each of your friends gave a little of themselves to the spell, their figurine will act like the real pony—or dragon, in Spike's case. I hope you never forget us. _Nach bhfuil dearmad Capaill_, Lady Teagan Laoise, scion of clan O'Gara. Fare you well, _col ceathrar_."

With that, the tiny winged unicorn paused, and said "The magic fades for today, Lady Teelo. It will return with the rising of the sun." And the statuette become stone again.

"Princess Celestia?" Emma asked. The figurine remained stone.

_Huh, guess the battery ran down._ Emma thought, picking up the figurine and returning it to its box, thinking hard.

The figurine had kept calling her _Lady_ Teelo, like a title or something. She knew for a fact Teagan's family wasn't descended from nobility, so it made no sense. And what was that about the statuettes acting like the real _ponies? _Emma stiffened.

_Teelo laughed_. She thought in shock. _What was it? I said the box only made sense as a keepsake if they were—_

"Horses. That's when she laughed…" Emma said numbly. "And she said Sun Hammer was from Equestria, and that was from _My Little Ponies—_a _cartoon_."

"That's it. I'm going nuts. This isn't possible. Get a grip, Emma!"

She stared at the box again. Princess Celestia's battery was dead, but there were nine other figurines. She started to reach for the blue winged unicorn, but changed her mind and picked up Sun Hammer's figurine instead.

"Who are you?" She asked it.

She didn't flinch when it came to life.

"A be Sun Hammer, daith o' the Troll King, Keeper o' the Armory, Hero o' the Crown, an' Champion o' the Sun. And your faithful friend, lass. I miss yer smile, ye bampot O'Gara. If A kenned the way o' it, A'd open the Brig and come visit ye, lassie."

The figurine went inert.

Emma thought for a few minutes and then asked.

"Who is Teelo?"

The statuette tossed his head.

"Who be ye? Ye be the Lady Teagan Laoise, o' the clan O'Gara! The lass what picked up Crush and went out ta battle that nyaff Discord. Ye're the lassie what charged naked across broken glass tae save yer friend Fluttershy when Discord would hae done unspeakable things tae her afore lettin' her die! Ye're the one who saved Princess Celestia her own blessed self! And in the doin' saved all o' Equestria! Ye be Teelo, who named me friend when nary other pony would, savin' the princesses. Ye be a _hero_, Teelo, so ye be."

The statue paused. "Ah, lassie, A be gettin' a muckle tired. Hae tae see ye tomorrow." And it reverted to stone.

Emma stiffened, remembering the name Teelo had started to say. _Flu_—could that be Fluttershy? She'd said the crazy man had been planning to torture the girl to death. Sun Hammer had said this Discord was planning unspeakable things before _letting_ her die…

Emma swallowed. Crazy or not, impossible or not, the figurines were telling her the same story Teelo had. But Teelo had said _girl_, not pony.

Thinking back Emma started putting the pieces together. The first time, when she was abducted, that must have been Discord—whatever Discord was—another pony, maybe?

She needed more answers.

The next hour was spent asking the figurines questions, from the strangely formal Princess Luna to the crazy pink one. After she was done she carefully closed the box and wrapped it up, then stored it safely on her closet shelf, in the back where her kid brother wouldn't find it.

Then she got dressed and very quietly let herself out of the house.

ooOoo

"Sun Hammer!" Teagan glomped the huge pony as soon as the Bridge closed. "I'm so happy to see you! And this time it's all happy news!"

Sun Hammer nuzzled her hair affectionately.

"Aye, Lassie. Even if it be too early by half." The stallion grumbled.

"Poor baby." Teelo crooned. "I forgot Equestria's almost 5 hours ahead. It's three in the morning for you, isn't it? I'm sorry."

"Nae, lassie. A be fine. Does a cuddy good tae bellyache a wee bit."

"Hello, Sun Hammer." Elaine said smiling at the picture the pair of them made.

"Well met, Lady O'Gara." Sun Hammer returned. "Greetings, Lord O'Gara. A hope A find ya well?"

"Oh yes. It's good to see you, Sun Hammer. How's life been treating you?"

"As tae that, well better than A hae any right tae hope." The pony smiled a somewhat goofy smile as his eyes lost focus.

Teagan gaped at him. She'd seen that look often enough at school.

"Sun Hammer, you found somebody?" Teagan asked in delight, beaming.

"Eh?" His focus snapped back to the girl. "What did ye say, lass?"

"I _said_—oh how do ponies say it—oh right. Did you find your special somepony?"

He took a startled step back.

"Now, whoa there lassie! A ne'er said _that_, so A dinnae!" He blushed. "Dinnae wanna jinx it, so A don't."

"Who is it?" Teelo demanded, hopping up and down. "Tell me!"

"Maybe nae pony. She might jes' be showin' pity tae the poor outcast, so she might." He warned her.

"_Sun Hammer, tell me right now!" _Teelo glared.

"Well, it be like this, lassie. Jus' after ye left, well, Faerie Mist, she comes tae the armory on business fer the Princess, ye ken. It were late, an' we both missed dinner, so we did. Well, she got tae talkin, as mares will, an afore I know it she was actin' all shocked that A ne'er went tae the dinin' hall, an' made me own meals in me quarters instead o' lettin' the kitchens dae it."

"I tried tellin' her nopony wanted me around, so twere better for everypony, but she would nae hear o' it."

He paused, remembering, a smile growing on his muzzle. "An' nothin' would satisfy her till she traipsed down tae the kitchens and came back wi a cart full o' all kinds o' vittles."

"Best meal I e'er ate, so it was. And she ate it wi me." He sighed happily.

"Funny thing be, she's taken supper wi me e'er night since. And we talk." His eyes focused on the entranced girl.

"She's a pretty little thing." He said contemplatively. "And smart as a fox, she is. Princess Celestia's first lady in waiting, ye ken. High above this cuddy, that's fer certain sure. Still, there's a fire in her, ye ken? Strong, so muckle strong. Would nae wanna cross her, A would nae."

"I know her." Teelo said, grinning. "I think you two would make a _great_ couple."

"Isn't Faerie Mist the lavender pegasus with the floaty yellow mane?" Elaine asked. "The one who invited us to Equestria? I thought she was very nice. So _refined_."

"You never saw her angry, Mom. I have." Teelo said with a grin. "Sun Hammer's right. You would not want to cross that mare. I'm so happy for you, Sun Hammer!"

"I'll nae count me chickens." Sun Hammer said, shaking his head. "But A'll nae refuse her company either, so A will nae." He suddenly shook himself.

"Listen tae me! Gossipin' like an old mare. Oh, an' speakin' o' gossip, there's news aplenty ye need tae know afore ye gae back, an' that's a fact."

"If this is going to be a long story, then let's all get comfortable." Elaine said. "Sun Hammer, there's a pillow for you if you want to sit down."

"Thank ye kindly, Lady O'Gara." Sun Hammer sat with surprising delicacy. He waited for the others to be seated before taking a deep breath.

"Tis been a busy few months in Equestria, lassie, an' no mistake. First, the Crystal Empire reappeared, so it did! The crystal ponies whit were gone fer _centuries_, they're back! An' apparently, along with them a villain by the name o' King Sombra. Nasty piece o' work that one. Undaid, he is. A shadow lurkin' in the frozen north, wantin' tae enslave the empire again, like he did afore. Twas his curse what made the Empire vanish, so it was. Even as he fell he took the Empire wi him."

"Nasty." Teelo commented, grimacing. "No more snow for _this_ little girl. One overgrown ice cube with side order of mega-blizzard was more than enough, thank you! Mix in undead ghosties and I'm going home."

Sun Hammer chuckled. "Aye. Still, Princess Cadence has the matter well in hoof, and Shining Armor wi her."

"Princess Cadence? What's she got to do with the Crystal Empire?" Teelo asked in confusion.

"Did ye nae see her cutie mark? Tis the Crystal Heart, so it be! Symbol o' the Crystal Empire." Sun Hammer said.

"Hang on, I saw her as a teenager! She was foal-sitting Twilight Sparkle, Sun Hammer. How can she be the ruler of an empire that vanished so many centuries ago?"

"Ye saw _whit_ nou?" Sun Hammer asked, startled.

"I guess I never told you, did I?" Teagan said in realization. "What's the best way to say this? Well, in this world there's apparently somebody who can see what happens in Equestria, like they're using a crystal ball or something. That person got together with a bunch of other people who make shows—I guess you'd call them plays. Anyway, these plays are about Equestria. In one of them I saw Princess Cadence when she was foal-sitting Twilight. Twilight looked about six maybe, and Cadence looked my age or younger."

"By Discord's twisted antler!" Sun Hammer swore. "I ne'er heard the laik! So ye be sayin' ye seen all kinds o' goin's on in Equestria?"

"Yeah, pretty much. Most of the time it's about Twilight and her friends, but I saw the Grand Galloping Gala, their fights with Discord, the royal wedding and a bunch of other stuff."

"Did ye e'er see me then?" Sun Hammer asked.

Teelo shook her head. "No. I've never seen the Horns mentioned either, or Tišina or _me_ for that matter. I guess they pick and choose what to make shows about. Or maybe whoever's watching concentrates on stuff they can use for their shows."

Sun Hammer snorted. "Hah! I was there in the throne room when ye were fightin' Discord, lass. Me heart was in me throat the whole time, so it was. Twas like watchin' a legend come tae life. If anything was worth makin' a play aboot, it woulda been that!"

"I sincerely hope _not._" Elaine said in shock. "That's the last thing Teagan needs! I couldn't stand to see, my daughter naked on nationwide TV smacking some dragon with a club." She shuddered.

"Beggin' yer pardon, yer Ladyship." Sun Hammer said, bobbing his head in apology. "But twere truly heroic, so it was. A will ne'er forget it till me dyin' day."

"_Not_ helping!" Teagan hissed quietly at him.

"The Princess assured us there would be no danger this time, Sun Hammer. Did she lie?" Elaine asked quietly. Teagan winced.

_This wil not end well, _she thought.

"Princess Celestia _ne'er_ lies!" Sun Hammer shouted, coming to his feet and glaring. "She is all that is good and kind and honest, so she be! Dinnae insult her, Lady or ye'll be answerin' tae _me!"_

"Mother! Sun Hammer!" Teagan snarled, slapping the stallion on the neck and glaring at her mother. "I swear you two can't have a simple conversation without starting a damn war! Now both of you _apologize_, and I don't want to hear another cross word from either one of you! You're acting like two alley cats just itching to fight!"

Sun Hammer's expression could only be described as _gobsmacked_. His good eye was wide and his mouth half open, ears held straight up. He goggled at Teelo silently.

Elaine O'Gara was equally stunned, both from Teelo having struck the pony and her completely unexpected outburst. There was something in her daughter's glare that made her profoundly uneasy. She knew Teagan would never hurt her, but…

John O'Gara was watching the byplay calmly, as if a thousand pounds of angry pony hadn't been shouting at his wife a second before. But the man's gaze was reserved for his daughter, and there was a thoughtful look on his face.

"_Well?" _Teagan snarled at Sun Hammer, who opened his mouth to answer but then looked past Teagan. His eyes widened even further.

"Have I come at a bad time?" A female voice asked sardonically from the living room doorway.


	3. 3 Crossing The Rubicon

**Chapter 3 – Crossing The Rubicon**

_In which we learn that loyalty and wisdom are oft uneasy bedfellows._

* * *

Rådgiver Sannheten grunted quietly as he adjusted his harness, the well tended leather creaking in counterpoint to his joints. He cracked his neck as he straightened, contemplating the pending arrival of the Dronning. According to the Kongen she would only be present for three months, returning to her own world before the first snow.

The purpose of her visit, also according to the Kongen, was to learn the language and customs of the trolls, and to form a bond with them, just as she had with the ponies. The councillor was not convinced such a thing was possible, yet the Kongen had made him swear an oath to do whatever it took to make that happen—a most daunting task, indeed. He smelled Alene Avgrunn's subtle hand at work. The Kongen was far too straight-forward to think of it himself.

The Dronning was an enigma to the old troll. All he knew of her came from wild (and second hand) stories told by ponies and the reports given by Alene Dalen and Snøskred Mot Lyn. Oddly enough, Alene Avgrunn had made no report, and that made Sannheten uneasy. The Kongen, of course, was useless. He seemed smitten with the Droning, singing her praises at every opportunity—which did not please his new wife in the slightest.

Sannheten snorted. If the Kongen's viewpoint was to be trusted then the Dronning was a troll in the ridiculously tiny body of a human, whatever that might be. From the physical description given by Alene Dalen she weighed less than half the Alene himself, and stood no taller. The Kongen had publicly said she looked like she were made of sugar crystal. Tiny and fragile, he'd called her.

Yet supposedly she had defeated Discord in single combat and engineered Tišina's fall, thwarting ancient prophecy in the bargain.

Sannheten shivered. There was no denying the Dronning was _skjebne født_—one of rare creatures not subject to the whims of fate. What it might mean for the World Below was impossible to say. The _skjebne født_ could be either a blessing or a curse. More often than not they were both.

But above all else they were impossible to_ control_.

Trolls found things they could not control unnerving at best. Too often in the World Below being out of control meant death soon followed. To know a creature was not even under the control of _destiny itself_ was absolutely terrifying. They could do _anything…_

The Dronning had already made ponies into a new troll clan and that was something Sannheten would have sworn was impossible.

_I must find a way to control her. Or the World Below is doomed,_ he thought grimly as he stalked toward the Borgen to begin his day.

ooOoo

Two hours before dawn Pinkie Pie's eyes snapped open and a wide grin split her face. She sprang out of bed and landed on the floor without a sound, crouching as she looked left and right to see if anyone was watching her. Satisfied no one was, she slipped stealthily out of her room and snuck downstairs, slinking like a cat.

Making her way to the backroom she took a _deep_ breath, and then crouched, shoulders low and rump high. Her tail whipped back and forth, like an annoyed cat, as she counted down silently to herself. When the countdown reached zero she exploded into motion, bouncing around the room like a demented rubber ball.

An observer would have been astounded by both the silence and the sudden appearance of tables, complete with colorful tablecloths, place settings and centerpieces. Streamers appeared as if by magic, and a number of banners followed. Had the hypothetical observer the ability to view reality in slow-motion they would have seen a ferocious scowl on Pinkie's face, her eyes narrowed in intense concentration, her forelegs in constant motion as items appeared from nowhere in her hooves.

The walls started sprouting party games and the tables began to fill with food and drink. With a final somersault that carried her over the large central table she landed with silent grace on her rear hooves and set a brimming punch bowl down in the middle of the table.

Leaping away in a stylish pirouette she landed with forelegs held high, and clicked the stopwatch that had appeared in one hoof.

"Party-no-jutsu, Pinkie Pie style!" She announced happily.

She consulted the stopwatch.

"Darn it!" She groused. "Missed my record by a whole 7 seconds! I must be outta practice." She trotted over and grabbed a vanilla and strawberry swirl cupcake and took a bite, chewing contemplatively.

Then she nodded solemnly and stuffed the rest of the cupcake in her mouth, chewing with closed eyes and a blissful expression. She swallowed noisily.

"Oh well, I'll just have to try again when Teelo leaves. I'll practice every day and beat my record for sure!"

ooOoo

Fluttershy rose an hour before dawn, the same way she did every day, to tend to her animals. But today there was an even larger smile on her face. The sight of Angel curled up in his fluffy blanket on the couch made her silently creep past on her way to the kitchen. The sound of steady snoring from the upstairs guest bedroom was a comforting background noise to the yellow pegasus.

She soon had the morning meals laid out for her animals, which appeared as if by magic. All except Angel, of course. But she was feeling in such high spirits she decided to let him sleep in.

The morning feeding complete she started cleaning up the house. She sang to herself as she worked. The various animals keeping her company listened in relaxed poses on perches and furniture.

A few minutes past dawn found Angel grumpily hopping toward the kitchen. As he passed Fluttershy she called out to him.

"Teelo's coming back to Ponyville today, Angel. I'm sure she'd really like to see you again. Are you sure you won't come with me to meet her?"

The rabbit sniffed and waved one dismissive paw as he continued on toward the kitchen and his breakfast. Fluttershy sighed heavily, and returned to her cleaning.

She didn't notice the snoring had stopped abruptly. Upstairs her boarder lay staring up at the ceiling with wide eyes, a single drop of sweat rolling between his mismatched antlers.

ooOoo

"Hi, Teelo. Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. O'Gara." Emma strode forward. "Hello, Sun Hammer. My name's Emma Halstead, I'm Teelo's best friend."

Teelo and her parents were gaping at Emma like she'd grown a second head.

"Pleased tae meet ye, Emma." Sun Hammer nodded. "A take it Teelo talked aboot me then?"

"A little. But _you_ told me more than she did."

"Eh? Wit blether be this? A'd remember if we e'er met lass, so A would." Sun Hammer responded in a confused voice. "Tis nae laik A ken so many humans A'd forget ain."

"What are you _doing_ here, Emma?" Teelo asked, face white.

"And how did you get in?" Elaine asked sharply. Emma glanced at her.

"The backdoor key under the flowerpot, Mrs. O'Gara. You showed it to me yourself, remember?" She turned back to Teelo. "After talking to all your little friends there was no way I was staying away."

"Little friends? What are you talking about?" Teelo asked, staring at her friend in complete bewilderment.

"Your keepsake, Teelo! Princess Celestia enchanted the figurines. If you ask them a question they come to life and answer it. You did know that, right?"

"Enchanted? Wha—they _talk?_"

"Aye, lassie. Dinnae the Princess tell ye?" Sun Hammer asked in a surprised tone.

"No. She never did." Teelo said numbly. "You talked to them, Emma?"

Her friend nodded. "All of them. Of course I could only ask each one a couple of questions before their magic ran dry. Princess Celestia said the magic recharges at sunrise so you'll be able to see for yourself. Or you would, if you weren't going back to Equestria."

"You know about Equestria?" John asked Emma, studying her curiously.

She nodded. "Teelo told me. _My Little Pony_, the magical land of Equestria. The others mentioned it too. Although I have to say _he_ sure doesn't look like a cartoon." She gestured at Sun Hammer then turned her attention back to Teelo.

"So now that the cat's out of the bag you don't have to keep anything secret anymore, Teelo. You know I won't tell anybody. Who would believe me?"

"I can't believe you did this." Teelo was a bit upset with her friend, but a treacherous part of her was relieved. "Equestria isn't always a nice place, ok? It's _dangerous_. "

Emma snorted. "It's full of _little ponies_, Teelo! How dangerous can it be?" She looked at Sun Hammer for a moment. "Although I must admit I'd never call your friend _little_. Are they all as big as him?"

"Nae, maist hae withers jus' up tae me belly. A was blessed with big bones, so A was. O' course Applejack tells me her brother's near as big as me, so we're nae as rare as all that." Sun Hammer said with a smile. "Mind ye, Equestria _can_ be a wee bit dicey in the mair interestin' parts, an' that's nae lie."

"Dicey." Teelo barked a short laugh. "That's one way to put it. Emma, the place is _crawling_ with monsters! Not to mention _gods_—who are often insane. Or demon-posssessed. Or _both_. And now Sun Hammer tells me there's some kind of undead creature plotting to enslave an entire empire lurking around up north."

"Oh right. Like they'd have stuff like that in a cartoon for little girls." Emma scoffed.

"_Equestria is not a cartoon!_" Teelo nearly shouted. "There's a cartoon _about_ it, but it's a real place, with real monsters. Who wouldn't think twice about eating you."

"Then why are you going back?" Emma asked. "You said it was for summer school. What kind of school is it? A magical school like Hogwarts, maybe? Can you cast spells?" Emma waved her arm like she was holding a magic wand.

John started laughing. Emma glared at him which caused Teelo to snicker.

"Well, how am I supposed to know? My best friend's been keeping secrets and wouldn't tell me _squat_. Speaking of which, how much of what you told me in January was actually true?" She wheeled on Teelo, who sobered.

"Every word, Emma. I swear. I've never actually lied to you. I may have stretched the truth here and there but everything I said was true."

"Diplomatic _plane_, Teelo?" Emma asked sarcastically. "_That_ was a lie."

"No." Teelo shook her head. "That was misdirection. I never actually said I was on a diplomatic plane, only that they're never searched. Which _is_ true. Would you have believed me if I'd told you a crazy, demon-possessed god from another dimension kidnapped me to a magical land of ponies ruled by a princess who looks like a winged unicorn?"

Emma opened her mouth, and then closed it again. Teelo nodded.

"Exactly. You'd have been insulted that I was making up such a stupid story. I'd never lie to you, Emma. Do you know how hard it's been not being able to tell you? And when I could, I had to be—creative. My friends _are _in the government. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna rule Equestria. They would be in trouble if the U.S. found out about Equestria—and so would I and so would my parents. Discord _was_ crazy, and he _did_ threaten to torture Fluttershy to death. He _did_ hurt a lot of my friends by hitting them with lightning. I was on the edge of it, so it just stunned me. He tried to cut Celestia into _pieces_ with animated barbed wire!"

"Did you really try to kill him?" Emma asked quietly. Teelo nodded.

"Princess Celestia knocked Crush aside at the very last second. I missed him by _this_ much." She held her fingers an inch apart. "He'd be dead right now if she hadn't."

"You said you broke something important." Emma said.

"His neck." Teelo said, nodding again. "It paralyzed him"

"So what happened to him in the end? You said he was in a coma?"

"Actually, they healed him and then put him in a deep sleep. And _then_ they turned him to stone." Teelo said. "Forever."

"Harsh." Emma said, blinking. "How long til you leave?"

"About two hours." Teelo said after glancing at her watch.

"That gives you enough time to tell me the whole story then." Emma said, settling onto the carpet. "You owe me that much."

Teelo sighed.

"I guess I do."

ooOoo

"And then we came home." Teelo said, carefully _not _mentioning the backpacks full of gems Celestia had given them.

"You know, if Sun Hammer wasn't sitting right next to you I'd be calling you a liar." Emma said, shaking her head. "That's the most unbelievable story I've ever heard. No wonder you're obsessed with your Krav Maga stuff. So Matt went with you, huh? How'd he react?"

Teelo snorted.

"Like he was in Topeka instead of Equestria. I kid you not. Not a single freak out. Meeting Sun Hammer didn't faze him. Crossing the Bridge of Days? _Meh_. Meeting with trolls? Like he grew up with them! It was _extremely_ annoying."

"Aye, Matthew be a calm cuddy, and that's a fact." Sun Hammer chuckled. "When Tišina ambled aff from a fall that shoulda left her flatter than a bunnet an' the rest o' us were gaping like foals, Matthew took that thunder stick o' his an' started shootin' laik he were havin' a bit o' target practice. Ne'er did see him fashed."

"Yeah. He was all _been there, done that, what's the big deal?" _Teelo chuckled. "But boy were we lucky to have him on the glacier when the storm hit. He kept us all from panicking. I thought Rainbow Dash was gonna lose it in the snow cave. She's big-time claustrophobic."

"I can't believe the Troll King wanted to marry you." Emma said, grinning. "I wish I could have seen your face."

"Twere a uncommon scary sight." Sun Hammer chuckled. "A dinnae ken her face could be the same color as her hair, by Celestia's rainbow mane. A thought sure the Kongen was a goner, so A did."

"Well, to be fair, he didn't _want_ to marry me, he thought he had to, to keep the throne." Teelo propped her back against Sun Hammer.

"And that's another thing. You're really a _queen?"_ Emma asked excitedly.

Teelo nodded ruefully. "Yeah. That's the reason I'm going back. So I can learn Trollish customs and language and all the thousand other things I have to know. Thank God Fjell rules the kingdom. If _I_ actually had to rule the World Below heaven help the trolls." She shuddered.

"So they call you _Your Majesty_ and all that stuff?" Emma asked, grinning.

"Uh huh. It's not as much fun as it sounds. Actually, they usually say _Dronning _instead of _Your Majesty_, but it's basically the same thing."

"Wow. You're a hero _and_ a queen, Teelo! That's _amazing_."

"I guess. I didn't ask for any of it, you know. I was just trying to help my friends and stop Discord so I could go home. Crush didn't mention the side of kingdom included at no extra charge." Teelo grimaced.

"Why won't you ever let anyone touch Crush?" Emma asked curiously.

"Because Crush won't let anyone but me lift it." Teelo replied. "Can you imagine the publicity if somebody found out? It would be proof thatmagic is real and unicorns actually do exist and your favorite fantasy creatures are alive and well the next universe over!" She shivered.

Just then a chime sounded from Sun Hammer's backpack.

"Tis near time, lassie. Be ye ready?" Sun Hammer asked. He fished the stone out and dropped it gently on the carpet. It was flashing slowly. "We hae aboot five minutes nou."

"I'm ready. Emma, I'll see you in the fall. Would it be selfish to say I'm glad I was able to tell you everything?"

"Nope." Emma grinned. "Even though it took magic to make it happen."

"You be careful, Teagan." Elaine said seriously. "Come home safely."

"I'm not going to go hunting trouble, Mom." Teagan assured her mother. "I want a _boring_ summer. It'll be a nice change of pace."

"Bye Pumpkin." John hugged his daughter. "Remember, you can't afford to be late coming back."

"Don't I know it." She said ruefully, picking up a good-sized backpack and slipping into it.

"That's all you're taking?" Emma asked, surprised. "For the whole summer?"

"Queen, remember?" Teagan grinned. "They'll give me whatever I need."

"Nice." Emma nodded.

The conversation lapsed as everyone waited for the stone to finish counting down. When it did a chime sounded and the stone stopped glowing. Teelo picked it up and slipped it back into Sun Hammer's saddlebag.

Emma was staring at the Bridge when it opened a few seconds later. A hole appeared in mid air and rapidly expanded until the rainbow-edged opening was seven feet across. On the other side Emma could see a clearing. Early morning light streamed through the portal. Thirty feet away she could see a black unicorn, about the size of a Shetland pony, with a mane and tail of sparkling silver. Its eyes were closed and a grimace of effort contorted its face. The slender black horn on its forehead was surrounded by a bright aura of silver light.

"Bye! See you in September!" Teagan called as she and the pony trotted toward the opening.

Without warning Emma lunged into a sprint toward the portal, passing through it just behind Teelo and Sun Hammer. John struggled to his feet and managed one step before the Bridge snapped shut with a _pop._

He stared at where the Bridge had swallowed Emma.

"Damn." John swore mildly, as he stared where the Bridge had just been.


	4. 4 By The Light Of Burning Bridges

**Chapter 4 – By The Light Of Burning Bridges**

_In which our heroine discovers the right choice can be easy to make but hard to live with, and that being Queen means dwelling in a web of such choices._

* * *

Emma stumbled to a stop about five feet behind Sun Hammer while the other two kept walking. Beyond them the black unicorn was sagging on its hooves but had opened its eyes. It blinked as it focused on Emma. Seeing the unicorn looking behind them Teagan turned.

_"Emma?" _Teelo's face turned absolutely white. "Oh God, what are you doing here? Was there an accident? Did the Bridge screw up and suck you in? Did it get my parents too?" She whirled to confront the unicorn again.

"Subtle Dancer! Was there a problem with the Bridge? Did you feel anything go wrong?"

The black unicorn started walking tiredly toward them but Teagan was panicking. She started waving frantically at someone else.

"Thank God! Skrent! Flint! Get over here _now!"_

Emma turned her head to see who Teelo was shouting at. She gulped. Two slate-green monsters at least eight feet tall were jogging right at them. They were naked except for a leather harness decorated with gleaming silver decorations and a loin cloth. Both were extremely ugly, with arms that nearly reached the ground. Their legs were heavily muscled, and their feet were bare.

_Those must be trolls, _Emma realized. _God, they're huge!_

"Ja, Dronning?" The one on the left bobbed its head.

"This is Emma, my best friend. She's _not_ supposed to be here and she doesn't know how to fight. Guard her!" Teagan snapped, face still pale.

"_Som du bestiller__, Dronning, skal __det gjøres!_" The troll on the left replied in a bass rumble that made James Earl Jones sound like a soprano. The troll on the right merely nodded and stepped next to Emma, turning to survey their surroundings.

"Well?" Teagan snapped as the unicorn joined them.

"I felt nothing amiss with the Bridge of Days, Lady Teagan." The unicorn replied mildly. He turned to regard Emma. "She came over the Bridge the same way you did, it did not malfunction."

"Um, Teelo?" Emma said hesitantly, wondering if her impulse had been such a good idea after all.

"What?" Teagan snapped, eyes darting everywhere.

"I followed you. I think your dad might have tried to stop me but the hole closed up before he could. Your parents are still in your living room, they're fine."

Teagan's gaze snapped to her. Emma saw a momentary relief wash over her friend, but started to get a little scared by the look of absolute horror that took its place.

"I'm ok too!" She hastily assured the red head.

"No. You're not. You're really not." Teagan said in a small hollow voice. "You're about as far from okay as it's possible to be, Emma. You _idiot!_ After everything I told you about how dangerous this place is what in the world _possessed_ you—oh, crap…"

Teagan stopped, as though she'd thought of something. She stared at Emma with unfocused eyes for a moment, not even breathing.

"Teelo? Come on, you're scaring me, girlfriend." Emma said uneasily. She'd never seen her friend like this before. Sure, Teagan could be a little jumpy sometimes, but right now she was freaking out. And Teagan _never_ freaked out.

Teelo's eyes focused and she turned to the unicorn.

"How soon before you can reopen the Bridge?" Teagan asked him.

"No sooner than four hours, Lady Teagan." The unicorn said as he considered her question. "I've already opened it twice in four hours. I can probably open it again but only long enough for one to cross—and they would have to be quick."

"Ok, ok, fine, that works." Teagan muttered rapidly. "Here's the plan. We stay here until you can open the Bridge again and send Emma home. Till then we sit tight and keep the defensive perimeter up. Where's the wing commander? I need to talk to him."

Subtle Dancer turned and walked away. Even Emma could see how he plodded tiredly, his head hanging low.

"Why be ye so fashed, Teelo?" Sun Hammer asked. "Tis nae like we be preparin' fer a battle. The wee lassie might enjoy seein' the sights afore we send her home."

"Why are you trying to send me home, anyway?" Emma complained. "I can't let you do this alone, Teelo. All summer here, by yourself? You need me!"

"No, I _don't_. Because you have _no freaking idea_ what you've gotten yourself into, Emma! I don't want to have to explain to your parents why I'm bringing their daughter's corpse back to them!" Teagan snapped at her, unaware in her panic that she was echoing her mother almost word for word.

"Right now, we're standing in the damned _Everfree Forest!_ We're at least fifteen minutes from the nearest help—and that's _flying_. If we have to walk it's a good forty-five minutes before we reach safety!"

"Staying here for another four hours means we're putting ourselves on the damn _buffet table_ for whatever monsters decide to come to lunch! But that's _nothing _compared to you staying with me all summer!"

"I can take care of myself, you know." Emma retorted, feeling a bit hurt at her friend's lack of faith. She turned to Sun Hammer. "Is she right? Is this place that dangerous?"

"Here in the Everfree ye mean?" Sun Hammer asked. He looked a bit uncomfortable. "Well, tis true the forest be chancy, so it be. Lots o' beasties whit would love a bit o' pony fer thair supper, an' that's nae lie. But most be wary o' jumping the laiks o' us, lass. The monsters whit can talk know better than tae attack Princes Celestia's guards, so they dae. Would nae end well fer them, it would nae. Besides, the Princess hae a long memory, so she does, an' they all ken it."

"T'other beasties, the ones whit cannae speak, well they would nae want tae tangle wi' such a large herd, seein's how we hae fire an' all." He paused.

"Still, A cannae say tis safe. Ye can ne'er ken whit be lurkin' aboot—an' sometimes folk whit come in here, well they dinnae always come oot again. Ye be a tasty morsel lassie, so A'd nae stray if A were ye, so A would nae."

"Emma, _listen _to him! It's not just the Everfree, either. Equestria itself can be a scary place. Oh, and you did know the trip to the troll mountains is going to be on _foot_, right?It'll take us a week of walking to get to Hejm. Have you ever walked fifty miles across country before?"

"Have you?" Emma retorted. "I'll be ok. I'm not helpless."

Teelo snorted. "Wanna bet? Could you fight _him?_" Teelo pointed at Skrent. "Could you fight a _dragon_, Emma? Last time I was here I had a freaking _Green Beret_ with a big ass rifle backing me up! And we barely survived! We had the full resources of two kingdoms at our disposal too _and_ the direct backup of two goddesses!"

"Look around you, Emma! There's only twenty pegasi, two trolls, Sun Hammer, and _me_ standing between you and some monster's stomach. And that's _all_."

"Three trolls, Dronning." Skrent corrected. Teagan paused, looking at him quizzically. He pointed. Emma blinked as she took in her surroundings for the first time.

They were standing in a forest clearing. Around the clearing huge trees grew thick and wild. It looked like a movie set, the underbrush was thick and vines covered many of the trees. There didn't seem to be any paths that the brown-haired girl could see.

Inside the clearing itself was a ring of torches, their flames pale in the bright morning sun. Emma had no idea what they were for, it was a warm summer day and the sun was up. Between each pair of torches a white pony in gold armor stood rigidly, facing outward. Emma noticed small wings folded on top of the armor.

_They must be pegasus ponies_, Emma thought to herself.

Inside the ring of pegasi stood several honest to goodness _chariots_, three large ones and two small ones. Beside one of the large chariots stood another troll, this one about six and a half feet tall, and clearly female. She wore a loin cloth and halter of white shiny cloth and her leather harness was decorated with a dazzling array of jewels that glittered in the sunlight.

"Who's that?" Teagan asked, puzzled.

"The Kongen's _kona_, Dronning. How ponies say—wife?" Skrent replied, stumbling over the strange word. "Her name is Søyle. She has agreed to be your _dame i vente_."

"My what?" Teagan asked blankly.

Skrent frowned and looked at Flint for help. "I do not know word in pony, Dronning. Like purple and yellow pony that serve Princess Celestia?"

"You mean Faerie Mist?"

"Ja! Like her." Skrent nodded in relief.

"Søyle's my lady-in-waiting?" Teagan asked, surprised. She knew Princess Celestia had them, of course, but it never occurred to her that _she _would. Or that trolls even did that.

"Ja? Maybe?" Skrent said hopefully. "She help teach you troll ways, Dronning."

"Ah. That will be helpful." Teagan nodded. "Can she fight? Or is she another non-combatant I have to worry about?"

_The King's wife, _Teagan groaned internally. _She gets hurt and Fjell will go ballistic._

"She is _troll_, Droning. All trolls can fight." Skrent said, grinning. "She is fine match for Kongen. Good with her claws. Keep him nimble." And Skrent burst into a belly laugh. Even the normally silent Flint rumbled briefly in amusement. Teagan decided she didn't want to know what was so funny.

"Still, let's try to keep her safe, ok? The Kongen would not be amused if she got hurt." Teagan said. Skrent snickered again, but nodded. "Would you please invite her to join us?"

The troll nodded and headed toward the female troll. Subtle Dancer led one of the white pegasi toward them, this one having two gold stars on his chestplate instead of a single blue one.

"Lady Teagan, it's good to meet you again." The wing commander greeted her with a respectful nod. Teagan instantly recognized his voice.

"_Stormwind?" _She asked, breaking into a smile. "So they promoted you? Last time you were a sargeant."

"Yes, well everyone on that expedition got either a commendation or a promotion." The wing commander said with a smile. "Percival's a sargeant now. He pulled strings to get assigned to your escort, you know."

"Did he? Well, I'm glad he got a promotion at least. But _right now_ we've got a problem. We've got to stay here until Subtle Dancer's rested enough to open the Bridge again."

The wing commander's face went carefully neutral.

"May I ask why, Your Majesty?"

His sudden tension and carefully formal tone wasn't lost on her.

"Because _she_," Teagan pointed at Emma, "has more loyalty than sense. She snuck across the Bridge with us."

"Hey! I was trying to _help!"_ Emma protested vigorously. Stormwind's face stayed politely blank. He'd been in the guard long enough to know better than to comment.

"Do your parents even know you're gone?" Teagan asked shrewdly.

"No." Emma admitted reluctantly.

"What do you think they're going to do when they find out you vanished?"

"Oops." Emma said with a wince. "Probably freak."

"You think? _My _parents called the police when it happened to me! And when your parents can't find you, guess where they're going to start looking? This puts my parents in a real bind, Emma!"

"Ok, I get it! I _get_ it." Emma said, holding up her hands in surrender. "I didn't think this through. You're right, I should go back. I don't want to get your folks in trouble. I don't want mine to worry, either."

She brightened. "What about sending them note when the hole opens instead?"

Teelo snorted. "Hi Mom and Dad, I'm in a land of magical ponies, risking life and limb. Having a blast, wish you were here. See you both in September! Your loving idiot, Adventure Girl."

Emma glared. "Ok, so it was a stupid idea. I'm sorry, all right? I'll go back and worry myself sick all summer, instead. Happy?"

Teagan pointed a finger at her friend. "No trying to guilt me, Emma. I'd be a hell of a lot more guilty if you die here. And you very well _could_."

She turned to look at Stormwind.

"Give me a risk assessment, Stormwind. What are the chances of us being attacked here in the next four hours?"

Stormwind thought about it.

"It's hard to say, Lady Teagan. We're a fairly large group for most monsters to tackle, but this _is _the Everfree so anything's possible. Dragons are always a threat, and some of the bigger predators might try to grab a quick snack, especially one of the carnivorous trees. They normally prefer carrion but it is high summer…" He paused, considering.

"Hmm, what else? Land sharks are a possibility. They love the taste of pony and always attack from underground. But they _should _lair nearer the mountains. Still, the Everfree is always coming up with new things to eat you."

Skrent had returned with Søyle. He grunted.

"Dangerous _dyrene_." He said, shaking his head. "Very hard to kill, and big! Taller than tall troll and twice as long. We find one of them, we _run_." He looked at Teagan. "Dronning, Mountain Heart could kill _bakkan hai _but it come up from underneath you, swallow you before you know it is there. No chance to strike, you see? Only warning is small earthquake."

Teagan nodded. "Are you listening to this, Emma? See why I want you to go home?"

Emma swallowed nervously. "If this place is so dangerous, how can ponies live here? It doesn't make any sense!"

"We're very good at defending ourselves—Emma, was it?" Subtle Dancer answered. "Lady Teagan, the Sun Shield will do their best but wouldn't it be tactically wiser to retreat to a safe place and return once we're ready? That way we can…"

He was cut off by a series of loud bangs, like a five car pileup.

Spinning toward the noise they found all five chariots reduced to piles of scrap metal, green flames erupting from craters where the chariots had been.

Emma watched in stunned disbelief as the flames died down and something black and gangly emerged from each crater. They looked like some bizarre cross between a horse and an insect, with dragonfly wings and hard, shiny black bodies. A single thick curved horn emerged from their forehead. Their legs were filled with holes Emma could actually see through.

They were, in short, a nightmare version of a unicorn with dragonfly wings and saber-tooth fangs. But the worse part were the eyes, blue shiny almond shaped patches, with no iris or pupil. Those eyes turned toward Teagan's group with malignant purpose.

"What the hell are they?" Emma asked, rooted in place with fear.

"Those are the personal guard of Chrysalis, Queen of the Changelings." Subtle Dancer said in a tightly controlled voice. "And if they're here you can bet _she's_ not far behind. This is very, very bad."

"How right you are, Subtle Dancer!" A mocking voice rang out from above. "Even now your doom is assured! None of you will survive my children's vengeance!"

A flying unicorn hovered some forty feet up in the air, with the same black body, hole-filled legs, and dragonfly wings as the monsters that wrecked the chariots. Inexplicably, the speaker was wearing some kind of silky green _saddle, _it almost looked frilly. Blue green hair blew around the creature's head, and its horn was impossibly gnarled, reminding the girl of wind-carved canyon walls.

Two more of the six foot tall insect unicorns flanked the creature who, Emma guessed, must be Chrysalis.

"Changelings!" One of the pegasi shouted. "Wing commander we're completely surrounded!"

"By Celestia's pearly horn!" Stormwind swore viciously. "Lady Teagan, the Sun Shield will fight to protect you to the last pony. But I fear all of us will be dining in the Elysium Fields tonight!"

"Don't give up hope just yet, wing commander." Subtle Dancer said grimly. "Have the Sun Shield fight the Queen's guards here inside our circle. I'll deal with the changeling army."

"Isn't your magic used up for now?" Teagan asked him in a low voice.

The unicorn grinned savagely. "I don't have enough to open the Bridge, Lady Teagan. But then again I don't _need _to open the Bridge of Days, now do I?" His horn glittered as a wave of light ran up and down it.

Teelo gave him an answering grin and drew Crush. "I'll leave the changeling army to you then, Subtle Dancer. Good hunting."

"The same to you, Your Majesty." The unicorn said with a laugh that sent chills down Emma's spine.

Teagan closed her eyes for a moment, apparently lost in thought. Crush burst into flame, a heatless red blaze that seemed to ebb and flow like a living thing. The red aura flared and swept down the club's iron body to surround its wielder as well.

Emma gasped as Teagan opened her eyes and looked at her. Beneath a foot of crimson flame her eyes were now the same deep iron gray as her weapon and lacking a pupil. They looked cold and soulless. Emma trembled, actually scared of Teagan for the very first time.

The two trolls unslung massively long, slender clubs from their backs, giving Emma an excuse to turn away from her friend's hideous eyes. Her own eyes widened as she took in the trolls' nearly seven foot long weapons. The first three feet was wooden handle but the last four feet was shod in iron, studded with hundreds of bumps along its length. The oddest thing was how slim they were, only about four inches across. She'd never seen anything like them.

"Lady Søyle, can you speak Equestrian?" Teagan asked, her voice hissing and crackling as it fought through the roiling flame around her.

"Yes, Dronning, I can." The king's wife responded, drinking in the sight of her queen's_ strålende__raseri__, _reveling in the irrefutable proof that here before her stood the _Vilje__Trollene__, _the Will of the Trolls.

"Good, then listen carefully. I want you to protect Emma. She doesn't know how fight and she is precious to me. Skrent tells me you're good with your claws?"

"I am indeed, Dronning." Søyle chuckled, smiling at Emma. "Do not worry, child. I pledge my life before Mountain Heart and the true Dronning av Fjellet. I swear none will harm you while I yet draw breath, be it changeling, monster or even god. You _will_ survive this battle."

Emma stared up at the smiling troll, shocked to her core by the depth of feeling Søyle put into those words. She felt nauseous, terrified, and guilty all at once.

_Søyle's enjoying this! _Emma realized in shock. _She's eager to fight. And Teelo, oh my God, Teelo, what's happened to you? Are you even human anymore?_

"Skrent, Flint, I want you to protect Emma and Søyle while I'm gone. If anything tries to hurt them, _kill it_." Teagan's voice was strangely distorted as it passed through that red glow.

The two trolls roared their approval loudly enough to echo off the trees and make the hive army actually flinch.

"Where are you going, Teelo?" Emma asked plaintively.

"Not far. I have to go swat an annoying bug. Be right back." Teagan replied in a perfectly calm voice that hissed and sputtered through her cloak of bloody flame. Emma shivered. That calm voice didn't match the death grip Teagan had on Crush, nor the snarl of rage that twisted her face.

Teagan turned her gaze on the giant earth pony. "I'm so sorry, Sun Hammer. Looks like I'm about to walk down the same road you did."

"Aye, lassie, that ye be." He said. "A hope ye think it's worth the trip."

Teagan glanced at Emma.

"Yeah. It's worth it." She focused on Chrysalis and crouched, waiting.

"**The time has come, my children! Take your vengeance!** **_Kill them all!_**" Chrysalis screamed aloud so the ponies could hear the order for their execution. She gloated down at them, knowing this opening blow would strike a bitter wound in Celestia's beloved country, the first of many. Once she had destroyed all of Equestria's protectors her children would finally be able to feast to their heart's content.

And so would she.

ooOoo

"Damn." John swore mildly, staring at the corner of the room, visible now that the Bridge had closed. "That's going to be a problem."

"Really? You think? What was _she_ thinking? After everything Teagan told her about Equestria! To do something so _stupid! _Argh!" Elaine grabbed her hair in both hands and yanked it. "Not to mention there's no way we can explain this to Jacob and Olivia! What are we going to _do?"_ There was more than a hint of fear in her voice.

"First thing we're going to do, _mo chroí_, is not panic. Emma's made a right hames of it, but we'll think of something."

"And what would you suggest? Emma's _gone, _John! It could be months before they come back. Her parents will go _insane_. You know how we felt when Teagan vanished after just a few weeks! Can you imagine if it had been _months?_"

"I know. We should probably call Matt and Evelyn. They might have more experience with this sort of thing."

"What, their daughters vanishing into a cartoon?" Elaine asked dryly.

Her husband shrugged. "Matt's used to black ops, and Evelyn's bound to be good at concocting cover stories. In the mean time we sit back and try to figure this out rationally. Emma's with Teagan and Sun Hammer. From what Sun Hammer said Teagan's troll bodyguards are waiting at the bridge along with a bunch of pegasus royal guards to escort her. We might even get lucky and Subtle Dancer will open the gate again as soon as he can. Emma might be back in what, four hours?"

"Till then, they're perfectly safe." John assured his wife.

ooOoo

The changelings swarmed toward them, flowing like an undulating carpet of hissing death. Subtle Dancer watched them come with narrowed eyes. He waited until they were ten feet from the ring of torches before his horn flared to life. Part of him mourned as the magic took hold, but the rest of him was busy ruthlessly locking down all emotion. The spell took only an eye-blink and the changelings were less than a body length from the ring when the spell went off.

Suddenly, every torch flame expanded a hundred fold, its quiet crackling combining into a hissing roar so loud Emma had to clap her hands over her ears. A blast of flames sixty feet long and wide enough to overlap its neighbor suddenly covered the charging creatures. The blast lasted a full five seconds and when it ended the changelings within sixty feet were down, most nothing more than charred husks, not even recognizable as once living creatures.

The ones who had been at the very edge of the flames shrieked in agony, staggering in circles, their fragile wings burned off, many blinded as well.

_"**NO! My children! My precious children!"** _Chrysalis' grief-stricken scream caught Emma's shocked attention. That's when she saw Teagan take several steps to the side and point her club at the traumatized Queen. The red haired girl shot toward Chrysalis as if she were simply falling upward, covering the sixty feet between them in less than two seconds.

The queen was sobbing brokenly, too numb to react to the girl streaking toward her. But her guards did react, moving protectively in front of the queen, preparing to tear the girl apart when she reached them.

The remainder of the changeling army stood frozen, staring across the blackened clearing at the fight going on between the pegasi and the queen's elite guards. They seemed as stunned as the queen, and didn't take advantage of the opportunity.

"**GUARDS, _KILL THE UNICORN!" _**Chrysalis shrieked in grief and rage. "**IGNORE THE REST OF THEM, KILL _HIM!"_**

Teagan had counted on the queen's escort to move exactly as they had. She sailed past the trio and safely out of reach. Below her the five monster changelings tried to break free of their opponents and obey their queen's command.

When Teagan was a dozen feet above and beyond the queen she unexpectedly reversed direction, plunging straight toward the queen's unguarded back.

With an earsplitting shout she brought Crush down with every bit of strength in her, and struck Chrysalis right between her blurring wings, the club striking lengthwise along her spine.

That was when the laws of physics, already battered, decided to take their ball and go home.

Teagan stopped dead in midair while Chrysalis suddenly vanished from sight, followed almost instantly by a loud _crack_ and a _boom_ as a large crater appeared directly beneath where she had just been.

The two guards flew at Teagan in screaming mindless rage, intent on bloody murder. But even as gravity suddenly remembered the girl hanging in mid-air she reacted with unthinking reflex and—using Crush's full power—smashed the club _though_ both guards, holding nothing back.

Teagan watched in disbelief as the two guards simply _splattered, _turning from black, angular killing machines into a gusher of chunky red salsa which splashed onto the scorched clearing below.

Meanwhile, the remaining changeling army suddenly collapsed, moaning and shrieking in agony as they writhed helplessly on the ground.

Subtle Dancer blinked, utterly baffled. His magic hadn't touched _them_.

"They—they just _exploded_." Emma said in a stunned voice, staring at the remains of the two changeling guards, now painting a large swath of the blackened clearing a dark brown color. Somehow she thought it should have been red…

Numbly she watched Teagan plummet out of the sky and strike the ground feet first, making a small crater of her own. The girl stepped out of the crater and sprinted toward them, jumping over the burned changeling husks in her path.

Loud angry shouts and several thuds quickly reminded Emma that the battle was still raging. She turned to look—only to scream and duck as two of the Queen's guards came roaring down from the sky. Sun Hammer reared and struck one guard with razor edged hooves. Emma heard the sickening _crack _of chitin giving way under those hammer blows.

But the earth pony could only intercept one of the guards, not both. The second guard slammed into Subtle Dancer, who went down under the guard's flailing hooves and flashing fangs. Both trolls sprang to the unicorn's aid, their huge clubs coming down, resulting in more horrible crunching noises. The guard screamed, whether in rage or pain Emma couldn't tell. It sprang after the trolls tormenting it. They separated smoothly to let it pass between them, and then brought their clubs around like baseball bats to smash its knees. The thing collapsed with another scream, and this time Emma had no doubt it was a scream of ragebecause it was screaming directly at _her. _She recoiled as it scrabbled with broken legs, still trying to reach her so it could chew her face off.

Suddenly Søyle was there, dodging the monster's slashing horn as she struck downward with claws designed to dig through solid rock.

Unsurprisingly, chitin proved no challenge at all.

Søyle danced back and shouted in savage joy, raising scarlet claws that gleamed in the bright sunlight. The monster laid still and silent, a crimson pool spreading out from under it. Emma yelped and leaped back to keep it from soaking her shoes. She wanted to throw up but there was no time for it, she could barely keep out of the trolls' way.

Teagan went sailing overhead, shouting at someone to get out of her way. Sun Hammer bellowed a battle cry, which was followed by another of those horrid crunching noises and another guard stopped roaring.

The stench of the burned changelings was making Emma gag. She staggered, trying desperately not to vomit while at the same time keeping clear of the three huge trolls who were actively moving to keep between her and the rest of the battle.

A final stomach-turning _splorch_ noise was followed by  
relative quiet as the last guard fell silent. Emma froze as she heard the unmistakable sound of a large amount of liquid hitting the ground. She refused to look toward the sound, afraid of what she might see.

For a moment the only sound was the pitiful screaming of the changelings who had survived the blast of magical fire.

Then Sun Hammer bellowed.

_"Subtle Dancer be doon! _ We need a healer, _nou_."

ooOoo

"Glad you could make it, Evelyn. Matt's already here." John said as he let her in. "Sorry for the early hour but we have a genuine emergency."

She yawned. "So you said. Teelo's best friend decided to have an adventure of her own, huh? So now you need me to help you brainstorm a way to tell her parents she's off to play with ponies." She shook her head. "I must be as crazy as they say I am."

She followed John into the living room.

"Hey, Matt, Elaine." She greeted them as she settled into a chair with a cup of steaming coffee in front of it. "Bless you! Nectar of the gods. Come to Mama!" She lifted the cup in both hands and inhaled deeply. "Ah! I can feel my brain cells starting to spark already. What time is it?"

"Almost four." Elaine said, "We have about three _maybe_ four hours before they realize she's gone. But Matt _still_ insisted we should wait for you." She glared at the ex-soldier.

"Mmm." Elaine moaned as she shipped the coffee. Reluctantly she put down the cup. "Ok, that's enough brain fuel for now. Time to get down to business."

"Let's get the obvious out of the way first. We _could_ tell them the truth. Offhand, I'd say that would be a complete disaster. We don't have any proof and you have to admit the whole "went to visit cartoon ponies" isn't going to cut it."

Elaine snorted.

"Exactly." Evelyn nodded. "We could lie, but frankly I can't think of anything plausible that wouldn't get the police and the FBI involved—or us arrested for complicity. The first thing Emma would do is phone her parents as soon as she could to tell them where she went. Even worse her hosts _would_ send her straight home to avoid exactly this kind of mess."

"That leaves telling a half-truth. Anybody got one?"

"I don't suppose Teelo left any proof lying around?" Matt asked hopefully. "Crush convinced _me_ pretty damn quick."

"Sun Hammer would be a pretty convincing argument too." John said ruefully. "But unfortunately she took both of them back to Equestria with her. The first time I'm actually glad she took Crush with her."

"Nasty thing." Elaine shivered. "Teagan says it's a demon. She said it possessed her and the only way to get rid of it is for her to die."

"Wrapped around her soul, she said." John said grimly. "And it's a parasite; it feeds off her life force, whatever that means."

"That _would_ explain her increased appetite." Evelyn said thoughtfully. "I saw her eat a salad big enough for a pony in Equestria. But John, Crush isn't a parasite, it's actually a symbiote. It may feed off her but it also provides her with some serious firepower. Princess Celestia told me everything she knows about Crush. She said it had three _miles _of mountain compressed in it. Apparently Crush can change its definition of _down_ whenever it wants to, and also change its mass. From some of the things Teelo said it sounds like it can magically transfer inertia, too."

She looked at the Teagan's parents. "I did the math. If you assume Crush is a cone of limestone two hundred feet at the base and three miles long…well, that means it weighs over 53 _megatons._"

"Megatons? Like a nuclear bomb?" Elaine asked, startled.

Matt shook his head. "No. She means it weighs 53 million _tons_, Elaine." He paused, considering the implications. "I pity the fool that attacks her—and that was before she picked up her new tricks."

"Tricks?" John asked, eyeing the other man. "What kind of tricks?"  
"Damn scary ones." Matt said soberly. "Superhero stuff. Even when Crush _isn't_ in her hand she can enter _mushin_ and her combat reflexes get almost as sharp as mine. That shouldn't be possible for a P3."

"But _with _Crush she can jump from one side of my dojo to the other and not touch the floor in between. She can _fly _too. Well, I _say_ fly, but it's more like falling sideways or upwards. And then there's what she calls _the glow_."

"The glow?" Evelyn asked in true geek fascination. Matt nodded.

"Yeah, apparently she and Crush can merge somehow. When they do her eyes turn dark grey and she loses her pupils. Crush starts glowing too—it almost looks like it's on fire. Squirt tells me the first time Crush did that she was about to kill Discord. I think the glow is some side-effect of Crush increasing its mass. But the really creepy part is the more she practices, the bigger the glow gets. She started being able to fly once it completely surrounded her. I think Crush has been learning how to extend its gravity manipulation field around her as well as itself.

"Why didn't you tell us this before?" Elaine asked sharply. Matt shrugged.

"There's a lot about her training I don't tell you, Elaine. She's got enough on her plate without you trying to second guess her. Teelo is careful. If I thought she was taking unnecessary risks I'd stop her. But she's being rigorous and disciplined when it comes to practicing her new tricks."

"She's our _daughter_, Matt!" Elaine snapped. "We need to know!"

Matt calmly considered her for a moment. "Elaine, with all due respect, you don't _want_ to know everything Teelo's learning. Some of it's ugly. Some of it you _would _object to. But all of it will keep her alive."

The private investigator broke the uncomfortable silence that followed.

"Ok, so we can't use Crush as proof. Is there _anything_ else we could use?"

Elaine shot upright. "Oh my God! Yes there is! Emma has Teelo's keepsake. Emma said the figurines come to life and answer questions. If that doesn't convince them I don't know what would."

Matt frowned. "You mean those little gemstone pony statues? They can talk?"

"That's what Emma said." John replied, eyes lighting up with hope. "But didn't she say they could only answer a couple of questions before their magic was exhausted?"

Elaine nodded. "She also said they got their magic back when the sun rose."

"Things just got a _whole_ lot easier." Evelyn said with a happy grin. She toasted them with her coffee cup. "Now here's what I suggest…"


	5. 5 Walking Softly

**Chapter 5 – Walking Softly**

_In which our heroine discovers the wisdom of learning from history—then repeating it._

* * *

Princess Celestia sat at breakfast with her sister, levitating a bite of apple-cinnamon muffin.

"So, sister, Lady Teelo should have arrived in Ponyville by now. How did you handle the Snøskred's last minute request?" The white alicorn asked with a smile.

"We managed to free another large chariot from storage to transport Kona Søyle to the Bridge." Her sister replied, swallowing a bite of her parsnip gratin gruyère. "Originally the Snøskred wanted her entire retinue to be present."

"Thirty trolls?" Celestia raised an eyebrow. "By chariot? Really? The Snøskred knows very well that wouldn't be possible, doesn't he?"

"Of course. But in truth he is blameless. It was a last minute request by the Kongen, delivered mere hours before he asked us."

"Ah. A diplomatic ploy, perhaps?" Celestia asked, not really believing it.

"I do not believe so, sister. The Kongen is a troll's troll when it comes to the virtue of straightforward behavior. It might have been suggested to him by Alene Avgrunn, but we don't believe it was. The Kongen is unfamiliar with Equestria, and may honestly have believed his request was reasonable. At any rate the Kona was there waiting at the Bridge for her queen. That should satisfy the trolls."

"Hmm. And speaking of trolls, how is Ambassador Truth Speaker adapting to his new post?"

"Quite well. His reports were somewhat—circumspect in the beginning, but of late they have taken on almost a trollish directness. He reports that his staff finds their trollish counterparts to be conscientious and—given the nature of trolls—somewhat simpler to deal with than they had originally feared."

"Trolls _are _easy to deal with—if you can avoid certain rigidities in their customs." Celestia chuckled. "Do you find your dealings with them as onerous as _you_ had feared sister?"

"Neigh." Luna admitted. "Even without her being physically present, Lady Teelo's odd relationship to both sides has been oil on troubled waters. Her declaring us part of her clan has had—unexpected—repercussions. I think both sides see little ground for insulting one another, since ponies and trolls are now kin." She chuckled.

"We admit we find ourselves puzzled, sister. That we are clan with Lady Teelo is undeniable. Yet she is queen of the trolls, and thus by troll law all ponies are now a new clan within the trollish species. It is delightfully perplexing—even the Snøskred agrees."

Celestia chuckled. "I have now seen everything, sister. A troll agreeing with a pony? Will wonders never cease?

"One beneficial effect is that the trolls are far less prickly than they were. Furthermore, our ponies are just as cautious, given they owe their lives to Lady Teelo twice over." Luna continued. "For if they insult the trolls they insult _her_ and if the trolls insult us then _they_ insult her. Was this your plan all along, sister?"

The white alicorn just smiled and said nothing, finishing her muffin.

"Ah." Luna said, nodding.

ooOoo

John O'Gara knocked on the door as his wife and co-conspirators stood on the steps behind him. It was eight o'clock in the morning of a beautiful summer day. Emma had not reappeared, meaning they were here to try and keep her parents from going to the police when they found out.

The fact the Bridge hadn't reopened argued some kind of disaster had occurred. Nothing Emma could have said would have kept Teagan from sending her home. Even if she _had_ somehow managed the impossible, Teagan would certainly have sent word back. Since she hadn't the evidence suggested she _couldn't_.

The last hour had been spent trying to calm Elaine enough to carry out the plan. Teagan's mother had alternated between rage and despair, only the combined efforts of the other three had let her regain control. Well—some control. They hoped it would be enough.

The door opened to reveal a boy about twelve, fully dressed with a backpack slung over his shoulder.

"Hi Alex, are your parents home?" John asked Emma's younger brother.

"Hi Mr. O'Gara." Alex said, looking uncertainly at the three adults behind him. "Yeah, they're here." He turned and yelled back in the house. "Mom, Teelo's parents are here to see you!"

Despite the serious reason for their visit John found himself smiling at the boy's lack of manners. He was clearly impatient, fidgeting in place until his mother appeared."

"Hi John, what's up?" She asked.

Alex slipped out the door. "Excuse me, I gotta go."

"Be back by seven, young man." Olivia Halstead ordered her son.

"I _know_, Mom!" Alex said casting his eyes toward heaven. "I'm gonna be _late_. Dan and Will are already waiting for me!"

"Have fun, dear." She said, waving him off. He instantly took off running.

"Always in a hurry, that one." She smiled at John. "Won't you come in? Who are your friends?"

"This is Matt Sanders and Evelyn Lewis." He replied as they filed inside. "Is Jacob home?"

"Jacob! John and Elaine are here! They want to see you!" She called out as she led them to the living room. "Matt, Evelyn, good to meet you."

"Coming!" Her husband called. By the time they were seated he had joined them.

"Hey John, Elaine, nice to see you! Is Teagan off to that boarding school of hers?" He asked cheerfully. "Emma was already moping when she came home last night. Don't know how she'll make it through the summer."

"Actually, that's kind of why we're here." John said, turning serious.

"I don't follow." Jacob replied with a slight frown.

"Emma came back to see us last night around one AM." John replied. "She let herself in the house while Teagan's—escort—was there. She had a very long conversation with him, actually. In spite of the fact he would have preferred anonymity. "

"I'm so sorry!" Olivia exclaimed in embarrassment. "I'll go right upstairs and bring her down to apologize!" She started to get up.

"Emma isn't upstairs, Olivia." Elaine said, just a hint of bitterness in her voice.

"What do you mean? Did she stay at your house last night? Where is she?" Olivia asked.

"_That _is a very long story…" John said with a sigh.

ooOoo

Sun Hammer stood over the fallen unicorn. One of the pegasi landed and started checking Subtle Dancer's wounds.

"This is bad." The pegasi said, pulling off his helmet. "See if any of the medical supplies survived. They're in boxes marked with a red plus on a white background. _Move!" _He snapped at Sun Hammer who silently bolted toward the smashed chariots. Teagan came running up, Crush already sheathed across her back.

"I've been trained in emergency first aid." She said, dropping to her knees. "I've never actually _done_ it, but I'm not afraid of blood and my hands are probably a lot more dexterous than your hoof flanges, no offense."

"None taken, Lady Teagan." The corpspony said, bobbing his head. "I'll take any hoof offered right now. I need you to put pressure right here." He indicated a point just below a deep gash on Subtle Dancer's neck. Teagan immediately complied and the sluggish flow of blood slowed significantly.

"Sun Hammer where are those supplies?" The corpspony bellowed.

"A'm lookin' as fast as A can!" Sun Hammer shouted as metal bonged and clanged. His shout was followed by a string of brogue so fast and furious Teagan couldn't follow it.

The trolls moved toward Teagan's voice and Emma was herded along by Søyle. She didn't resist, still shocked by the savagery, not to mention the aborted attack against her. When she saw the black unicorn's body laying on the ground with Teagan pushing down with both hands on its shoulder and the armored pegasus rapidly cataloging Subtle Dancer's many injuries she gasped.

Teagan looked up. "Emma, get over here! I need your help!" There was something in the girl's voice that acted like a slap in the face. Emma jerked out of her shock and staggered over to kneel beside Teagan.

"Another helping hand, doc!" Teagan said. "Where do you need more pressure?"

"Here and here." The corpspony said, pointing at two more pressure points.

"Emma, put your hands right where mine are! Now _push _and don't let up until I say you can." Teagan watched for a moment then nodded and put her own hands where the corpspony told her to. Emma shuddered, feeling the warm body under her hands. She could feel a fast but faint pulse under her hands. She wasn't sure but she didn't think that was a good sign. She tried not to look at the blood

"Here be the box ye wanted!" Sun Hammer said, galloping up and set the box down by the corpsman. He immediately opened it with his teeth. Emma winced, that couldn't be very sanitary.

"Thanks, now find the rest of them! Lady Teagan, listen to me. The three slashes are the biggest problems. Have you ever stitched a wound before?"

"No, but I did practice on a dummy arm." She replied.

The corpspony nodded. "Normally we let unicorns do this, there's too much chance of infection if an earth pony or pegasus does it, but we don't have any more unicorns. Think you can do this?"

"He's my friend. I can do it." Teagan said. "You'll need to talk me through it."

"No problem. Here, let me apply pressure. See if you can set a needle up, they're already threaded."

Emma watched as Teagan took a large curved needle with a trailing thread and what looked like a short pair of forceps with a bizarre circular end piece. Teagan looked at it for a moment then put her hand over the circle and squeezed. The forceps obediently pinched.

"Well, _that's_ not awkward." She muttered, fitting the needle into the tips of the forceps and squeezed until there was a click. She let go and the forceps remained closed. Nodding, she carefully set the forceps so they rested on the flat circular back piece, the tips facing upward.

"All right, how do we clean the wound?" Teagan asked the corpspony. He nodded to a jar with a green lid.

"That's antiseptic. It's a cream. Smooth a dollop along the wound. Don't use too much." He said.

"Doesn't that risk infection?" Teagan asked uneasily. He looked at her.

"It's _antiseptic_, Lady Teagan." He said. "Let's get _on_ with this."

Teagan opened the jar, noting the scalloped gear like edges, for easier gripping by a pony's hoof flanges. She took a little of the cream and carefully smeared it along the edges of all three slashes.

"Ok, now go ahead and set the first stitch. Just take it slow He's not going to feel it." The corpspony's voice was gentle, encouraging.

"Never did this through fur," Teelo grimaced. "How far from the wound edge and how deep?"

"See the tip of the needle where it changes color?" He asked. She nodded. "That's the distance. You want to get as near to the bottom of the wound as you can. Then up through the other side. Leave two inches of thread on each side of the stitch and then do the next one. On these cuts make them every half inch. Got it?"

"Yes. I sure wish Rarity was here! " Teagan picked up the forceps and awkwardly set the first stitch.

It took nearly fifteen minutes to set the stitches and carefully draw them closed and knot the ends. Teagan was glad Subtle Dancer was unconscious, it would have been too nerve wracking to feel him flinch. Her hands were shaking so badly by the end Emma had to tie the last three stitches for her.

While she was setting the stitches the corpspony was checking the unicorn for other damage. The monster changeling had apparently done a lot of damage in the few seconds before the trolls had lured it off. The laundry list included a concussion, three broken ribs, a separated shoulder and three fang-slashes on his neck.

"The concussion worries me." The corpspony said grimly. "He's a unicorn. They don't deal with concussions nearly as well as pegasi or earth ponies. That horn of theirs has a thick nerve connecting it directly to their forebrain and a concussion can put serious stress on it. He could lose his magic forever if he's unlucky. Or dieif he's _really _unlucky. We need to get him to a hospital as soon as possible."

"Ponyville has a hospital." Teagan said. "You guys have any kind of medical airlift? A stretcher to haul wounded?"

"Yeah, we call it a patient sling." The corpspony responded. "We actually have one with us, it's standard issue. Takes four pegasi to deploy, though. Right now we're belly deep in hostile territory. No way will the wing commander authorize it."

"You let me worry about that." Teagan said grimly. "Subtle Dancer is a high level mage _and_ he's the director of the Horns. Besides, Celestia will kill me if anything happens to him."

She stalked off to find Stormwind.

The corpspony looked after her with his mouth open.

"Heroes." He finally said, shaking his head. Then he looked at Emma.

"You ok?" He asked gently.

"No." She said with a quivering voice. "I didn't think it would be like this! Blood and killing and war! That's not how it is in the show! It's supposed to be all songs and dances and nicey-nice tea parties!"

"Show? What show?" He asked in confusion. "Did something hit you in the head during the fight? Where did you get hit?"

Emma laughed bitterly. "No. I didn't get hurt. Søyle killed that thing before it could touch me. But this is just _too_ _much_."

"Oh! You're a _civilian._" The corpspony was suddenly sympathetic. "I guess you're not used to fighting, huh? You _did_ do a pretty good job helping us with Subtle Dancer—for a civilian, I mean."

"Thanks. Yeah, I'm not a soldier or a hero. I'm just scared out of my mind! How can you be so _calm?_ We were nearly killed!"

He shrugged. "I knew the risks going in and I took an oath to protect Equestria. You get used to it." He grinned at her. "What's your name, anyway?"

"Emma. Emma Halstead. What's yours?"

"Cloud Maker. But my friends call me Stitch. You know, 'cause I'm a medic and all." He gestured at Subtle Dancer and grinned at her, waggling his eyebrows.

She gave a burst of startled laughter. He smiled wider. "See? It's not _that_ bad. The battle's over. Lady Teagan took down Chrysalis, Subtle Dancer handled the changeling army, and the Sun Shield dealt with those overgrown bugs that wrecked our chariots. The trolls pulled that monster off Subtle Dancer in time too. I call that a win."

Emma became aware of the horrible moans coming from the changelings in the distance and shivered. They weren't as loud now, and it sounded like there were fewer of them.

"What happens to them?" She asked, waving toward the surrounding changelings. He shrugged.

"I have no idea. That's the wing commander's decision, or maybe Lady Teagan's. My job is patching up the wounded. He glanced up.

"And speaking of, here's the wing commander now."

Teagan and the pegasus with two gold stars on his chest plate were arguing.

"I can't split my forces in the middle of hostile territory, Lady Teagan! If anything happens to you Captain Strong Shield will have my head!"

"And if anything happens to Subtle Dancer _Princess Celestia_ will have mine! Besides, I outrank you, Stormwind. Not to mention you _owe_ me! I saved the world, remember? _Twice_. I'm a queen. Last time I looked queen outranks wing commander!"

"The Sun Shield answer only to the Princess, Your Majesty, not to the queen of the trolls." Stormwind answered a little stiffly.

"You're supposed to obey my orders though, right?" She asked, turning to face him. Her face was flushed with frustrated anger.

Stormwind hesitated. She didn't give him a chance to recover.

"I saved Princess Celestia from death on two separate occasions, Stormwind. Doesn't that buy me a little slack? I'm not being unreasonable here. Subtle Dancer is no ordinary unicorn and you damn well know it! He's more important to Equestria than I am, the Princess depends on him! All I'm asking is you get him to a hospital before it's too late!"

"Four pegasi to transport him." Stormwind protested. "Plus another six to protect them? That's half the wing! We're going to have to do a fighting retreat out of this forest—and you want me to split my wing in half?"

"_Yes_. Remember you also have three trolls along with me and Crush. That's not to be sneezed at. Would _you_ want to go up against a force like that if you were a monster?"

Stormwind glared at her. "At least go with them, Lady Teagan! That way I can withdraw without worrying about you."

"No." She shook her head. "I'm not abandoning anyone in this damned forest. My _best friend_ is here, Stormwind. My _trolls_ are here! And my _clan_ is here." She looked at him. "You're family, Stormwind. Every stubborn four-footed one of you. Wings or horn or neither, you're still family and I _do not abandon my family_. You got that?"

"Yes, ma'am." Stormwind said resignedly. "Under protest, I yield. You will answer to the Princess for this, you know."

"I know." She said, tossing her head to get the hair out of her face. "But I'd rather look her in the eye and tell her I saved Subtle Dancer than tell her I got him killed. He's family too, Stormwind. So is she."

The pegasus sighed.

"Get him ready for transport, Stitch." Stormwind said with ill grace. "You're going with him."

"Yes, sir." Stitch saluted without expression.

"Any idea how we're gonna survive their counter-attack?" Stormwind asked sourly, nodding at the changelings. "They're not gonna stay down much longer, you know."

"I killed their queen, Stormwind. The drones won't survive. They're certainly not going to be fighting us." Teelo said, wincing as she spoke. Stormwind looked at her quizzically.

"What makes you think Chrysalis is dead?" He asked with raised eyebrows.

"What? That crack you heard when I hit her? That was her breaking the sound barrier before she broke the ground. _Nobody_ survives that."

"She took out Celestia one on one, remember?" Stormwind said. "Five bits that says she's still alive."

Teagan hesitated. "No bet. Damn. Skrent, Flint! Guys, I need you to do me a favor…"

ooOoo

"Seriously, John. Where is Emma?" Olivia asked, losing her smile. "If she didn't spend the night at your house and she's not here, exactly where is she?"

"With Teagan." John said. "The two of you need to listen to me very carefully, and not say anything until I'm finished. It's _very important _you hear me out. Teagan gave Emma something last night, a keepsake from her—travels. Do you know where it is?"

"I remember she came home with something wrapped in a blue cloth, about a foot and a half long." Jacob said. "When I asked her what it was Emma said it was something Teagan had wanted her to look after it till she got back."

"I think Teagan wanted to prove to Emma she trusted her." John said, nodding. "But the people who gave her that keepsake never told her about the secret inside. Emma found the secret, that's why she came back to our house last night."

"What secret? Is it dangerous?" Jacob asked sharply.

"Not the way you mean." Matt spoke up. "It won't explode or anything. But now that Emma's gone with Teelo we need to share the secret with you. So you won't worry about Emma."

Elaine snorted. "_I_ know the secret, Matt. I still worry. About both of them."

"What are you talking about?" Olivia asked uneasily. "What do you mean she went with Teagan? How could you let her do that?"

"You won't believe us if we tell you." Evelyn spoke for the first time. "The keepsake is the only thing that will convince you we're not crazy."

"Who are _you?"_ Jacob asked, starting to get angry.

"My name is Evelyn Lewis, Mr. Halstead. I'm the private investigator Teelo retained in January to help her recover a friend of hers that had been kidnapped." The PI said calmly. "If you want to know more we need the keepsake. It will answer all your questions."

"Why won't you tell me where our daughter is? Elaine, where is she?" Olivia demanded.

"With Teagan, Olivia. On their way to a city called Hejm."

"And where's that, exactly?" Jacob asked. "Sounds European—wait, my daughter's going to _Europe?"_ He looked at the four in disbelief.

"No. We have to have that keepsake if you want your questions answered, Jacob. Would it be in Emma's room?" John asked.

"It should be. I'll go get it." Olivia stood up abruptly.

"I'll go with you." Elaine said and the two women left the room.

"Your name is Matt, right? How do you know my daughter?" Jacob asked, taking a deep breath to calm himself.

"Matt Sanders, Mr. Halstead. I met your daughter when Teelo brought her by my dojo. I'm Teelo's Krav Maga instructor."

"So why are you here with a private investigator?" The man was clearly worried, his eyes searching them for some clue what was going on.

"Evelyn and I were involved in Teelo's second trip, Mr. Halstead. Where we went and what we did there—I can't tell you until we have the keepsake."

"Damn it!" Jacob swore. "What _secret?_ What the hell is going on? Where's my daughter!" His voice was raised.

"Calm yourself, Mr. Halstead. There's no reason to believe Teelo and Emma are in the slightest danger." Evelyn said in a placating voice. "Just wait until your wife gets back and everything will be explained. You have my word."

"You'd better be right. Or I'm calling the police." He growled. The four waited for ten uncomfortable minutes until the two women returned. Olivia was carrying a bundle wrapped in a blue cloth.

"We should sit at the table for this." Elaine said. Wordlessly Olivia led them into the dining room, and sat down at the table, placing the bundle in front of her.

"Now _what is this about?_" Jacob growled again.

"Unwrap it." John instructed Olivia. She did, laying the cloth out once she had so they could all see it. It showed a deep blue star field with a border of ornate ferns and hearts. On the star field were two unicorns chasing each other in an eternal circle. One was white with pink mane and tail, the other dark blue with a silver mane and tail. Inside the circle was a stylized golden sun and a crescent moon on a blue globe.

"Looks like a yin and yang symbol." Jacob said, studying it. "The never-ending cycle of day and night, right?"

"Yes." John said, nodding. "The border is traditional Irish design with some Greek influence. The heart symbols are actually Roman, I think."

"So this is really old?" Jacob asked, examining the box.

"No. She had it when she came back from her first trip. Her friends had commissioned it. So it's only about eighteen months old." John said. "The box is hand carved, but it's the contents we're interested in. Go ahead and open it, Olivia. The latches are on the front there."

Fumbling for a moment, Olivia finally mastered the clever latches. She opened the box with far less reverence than Emma had.

"Little pony dolls?" She asked doubtfully.

"They have the secret, Olivia." John said. "Take out the white winged unicorn and set it on the table facing you."

Clearly unhappy, the woman did.

"Now ask it who it is." John said.

"What?" She asked, startled.

"Ask it who it is. Trust me." John said.

"Wh—who are you?" Olivia played along, addressing the statue.

The statue yawned and stretched its wings. Then it started flapping, until it was hovering in front of the wide eyed woman's face.

"Hello, I am Princess Celestia, ruler of the magical land of Equestria. I don't recognize you, what is your name?"

"Olivia." The woman answered, clearly shocked into automatic pilot mode.

"Greetings, Olivia." She looked around until she saw Elaine. "Greetings, Lady Elaine. I'm happy to meet you again, in a manner of speaking."

The statuette settled to the table, folded its wings, and became inert stone once more.

"What the _hell?_" Jacob swore, staring at the tiny winged unicorn. "That's impossible! Nobody could build something like that! And it _flew_. How did it fly?"

The figurine came back to life and turned to him.

"Who are you?" It asked.

"Jacob Halstead." He answered, wide eyed.

"I enchanted this toy so it could do a few tricks every day, Mr. Halstead. It can answer a few simple questions before the magic runs out for the day. The magic returns with the sun. Flying takes a lot of magic, so if you want the figurine to fly more than once a day make sure you play with it in the sunlight." The figurine reverted again.

"Magic? There's no such thing as magic." Olivia said, stunned. "How is it talking? Answering _questions? _That takes some serious computer power doesn't it? It's not big enough! And the way it moves, it's as though it were alive!"

"All right, John. Enough games. What is going on?" Jacob demanded. "Where is Emma?"

"Teelo and your daughter are now in Equestria, Mr. Halstead." Matt said quietly. "I've been there myself, all four of us have. It's a real place, but how exactly the Bridge of Days works I couldn't tell you."

"The what?" Jacob asked, still struggling to process what he'd just seen.

"The Bridge of Days." Evelyn answered. "We don't know exactly what it is or how it works. It's like a doorway between Earth and Equestria. All I can give you is a handful of educated guesses and some speculation based on my trip there."

"Start talking." He said grimly.

"All right. Keep in mind I've got very little hard evidence aside from this keepsake. And frankly, their technology might as well be magic because it's _way_ beyond anything we've got. You ever heard of Clark's Axiom?"

"Yeah." He eyed the stone figurine. "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. So is this magic? Or some kind of weird super-science stuff?"

Evelyn shrugged. "I don't know. How could we tell the difference? What I _do _know is that Equestria is filled with sentient non-humans. They _seem_ to speak English, but their alphabet is nothing like ours. They _seem_ to have a general technology level about equal to the late 19th century, with a few areas middle 20th. Except they also use 'magic', which means their tech level is so far beyond ours it's like we're still using stone axes."

"I went to Equestria on Christmas day and spent three weeks there. I've spent the last _six months_ trying to make sense of it all. The only thing I can figure is the Equestrians had some kind of modifications done to them early in their history, maybe genetic engineering or nanotechnology—or _something _along those lines."

"I also know the current rulers of Equestria overthrew the original ruler. Maybe that's why their tech is such a hodgepodge of old-school and Flash Gordon. They probably commandeered some advanced tech when they revolted. It would explain a lot of what I saw."

"As for them speaking English, well, I don't think they actually do. It makes no sense that they would. I'm betting it was some kind of universal translator, based on 'magic'," she did air quotes.

"I also bet the translation wasn't perfect. Some of the words they used might not literally mean what they say. For instance their names are just _goofy_."

"Goofy how? Like nonsense words?" Olivia asked.

"No. The words are English; they're just too—well _weird_. One of them is named Rarity. Another is named Pinkamena Diane Pie—but she goes by Pinkie. And yeah, she's _pink_. See what I mean? The two rulers are named Princess Celestia and Princess Luna."

"The Equestrians look just like these figurines. The first time you see them your mind screams _pony. _Until you get a really good look. Then you'll never mistake them for ordinary horses again."

"What are you talking about?" Jacob demanded irritably. "We're supposed to believe Emma went to visit talking _horses?"_

Evelyn pointed at the figurine. "Straight from the horse's mouth, Mr. Halstead. Do you doubt your own ears?"

He looked like he wanted to protest, but subsided.

"What I mean is, at first glance they look like an ordinary pony or horse." Evelyn said. "Equestrians _are _four legged. But their front hooves have this weird mutation, some kind of flange that unfolds from the frog of their hoof. They can use the flange the way we use fingers. It isn't quite as good as fingers, so they use their mouths as hands a lot more than we do, their lips are very dexterous."

"Their shoulder joints are really weird, too, much more complex than a horse's with nearly the same range of motion as a human. Oh, and their eyes are _huge_, and face forward like a predator's. They have full color vision and depth perception."

"Look." She picked up the figurines of Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash. "Notice there are three different kinds? They call them _tribes_, or at least that's the word we hear. This is an earth pony, a unicorn, and a pegasus." She tapped each figurine in turn.

"All three live together peacefully and can even interbreed, so clearly they're the same species. But each tribe has their own special tricks."

"The earth ponies have prehensile tails. Pegasi have _wings_, little stubby things that shouldn't be able to lift them—but they can fly, and even _hover_. That's why I'm thinking some kind of genetic engineering or nanotech. And the unicorns—" She shook her head.

"Well, they're _unicorns_. Somehow the unicorns seem to be able to use 'magic' to lift and move objects and even teleport."

"_Teleport_?" Jacob asked skeptically. "You're kidding me! So what are they? Space ponies from Mars?"

"Not Mars." Evelyn said, rolling her eyes. "Not part of our solar system at all. We call it Equestria, but that's probably not its name. Their planet was _terraformed_. It was _made_, Mr. Halstead! Their star is some kind of dim white dwarf, but there's an _artificial_ sun and moon that orbit the planet. Somebody made those devices and put them in orbit as part of the terraforming. Somehow Princess Celestia got hold of the controls for the artificial sun. Princess Luna has the controls for the moon. They told me themselves the ponies didn't create Equestria, so someone else must have. And that someone else has access to unbelievably advanced technology."

"Unbelievable is the right word." Jacob said sourly. "You really expect us to swallow this tripe? What did you do with our _daughter?"_ He shouted the last word at her.

"Lady Teelo is going to Hejm for the summer." The tiny voice of Princess Celestia answered Jacob unexpectedly. "The magic is fading, but I can speak with you again tomorrow." The statue solidified.

"Do we have technology capable of making_ that?_" Evelyn asked Emma's father. "Can we fake _that?_" She picked up a blue winged unicorn and sat it down next to Celestia's statue.

"Princess Luna, where is Emma?" She asked.

"Lady Teelo's friend? She asked us several questions last night but we haven't seen her since." The blue figurine replied in cool formal tones. "It is good to see thee again, Evelyn Lewis. Well, in a manner of speaking, as thee are speaking to our simulacra, not our actual self."

"Who made you?" Jacob butted in.

"Jewel Shard, the artist constructed the actual figurines." Luna replied. "My sister provided the enchantments, and each of us posed for our own figurine, to provide the _anima_." Her figurine solidified again.

"Let's say we believe you." Olivia said in the awkward silence that followed. "When will Emma be coming home?"

"The first of August." John said quietly.

The shocked stares of Emma's parents said it all.


	6. 6 Big Stick Politics

**Chapter 6 – Big Stick Politics**

_In which we learn sometimes a carrot is not what you need._

* * *

"We have found her, Dronning!" Skrent announced, standing up. He and Flint were chest deep in the crater, having dug down nearly five feet.

"Is she alive?" Teagan asked from the crater's edge. Emma, Stormwind, and Søyle stood with her.

"She looks—broken." Skrent said doubtfully. "We pull her out and see." He and his brother bent down in their hole. After a moment Flint pulled himself out and knelt at the crater edge while Skrent hoisted something black and blue out of the hole.

Teagan gasped and Emma turned away, holding her hands over her mouth.

"For her sake, I hope she's dead." Stormwind said in a somber voice. "Celestia preserve us! Lady Teagan, what did you _do _to her?"

"Hit her with Crush as hard as I could." Teagan said quietly. "She can't still be alive. Not even _Tišina _could survive that. Oh, God…"

Chrysalis was—wrecked. Mangled, like a rag doll, her legs broken in multiple places, her broken spine folding her body in a direction nature never intended. Her neck was clearly broken, her head twisted backward until her eyes pointed at her tail. Her ribcage was flattened on one side and her black chitin was cracked and crazed, with blood oozing from underneath almost everywhere.

Wordlessly Teagan knelt and took hold of the changeling queen's head, wincing at the boneless ease of its movement. She straightened the head gently, moving it to an approximation of its correct placement.

"What are you doing, Teelo?" Emma asked in a thin voice that was on the edge of tears.

"I killed her, Emma. She may have deserved it for trying to kill us, but I can't just leave her like this." Teagan said as she straightened the queen's neck. "There's no dignity in death, did you know that? No glory, no victory. Matt told me that. Every death is nothing but another loss, a tragedy to be mourned. Enemy or not, the living can't shame the dead. We'll be joining them all too soon."

They watched as Teagan continued tending the dead queen. It took several minutes, and when it was done she stood.

"Chrysalis, I'm sorry I had to kill you. But you chose your road, not me. If you hadn't attacked us I'd have left you alone. Dear God, please let her finally know peace, let her soul know rest. And let her children pass without pain. Amen."

Chrysalis twitched.

Teagan crouched while her hand went for Crush in case she needed to draw. Emma backed up several steps, her eyes going wide. The male trolls closed around Teagan and Søyle raised bloodstained claws as she moved between Emma and Chrysalis.

"I think you would have owed me five bits, Lady Teagan." Stormwind said as the front half of Chrysalis jerked spastically.

"How can she still be alive?" Teagan wondered aloud. "Her bones felt like bags of marbles!"

"Shape-shifter." Sun Hammer grunted. "Thair bones warp and bend e'er time thay use their power, lassie. Belike she's immortal tae boot."

"Okay, but even somebody like her isn't going to just shake _that_ off." Teagan said. "We'll have time to capture her. Stormwind, do we have the materials to make a travois?"

"Um, I suppose so. But pegasi don't use such gear, Lady Teagan." Stormwind sounded just a little uncomfortable.

"Dinnae fash yerself, cuddy." Sun Hammer snorted. "Tis many a travois A hauled by ma lonesome, so A hae. We can use the chariot poles. Yon bug be nae load fer a strong earth pony such as masel. Ye can mak yerself useful by findin' straps tae lash the poles, so ye can."

Faster than Teagan had dared hope Sun Hammer had created a crude but serviceable travois and the healing Chrysalis was bound to the frame. None too soon either, as bursts of green magic began sparking over her every few minutes. Fresh, unbroken chitin was left in their wake. The new chitin was clear of blood as well.

Just as they were ready to move out Teagan raised a hand to stop them.

"Do you hear that?" She asked uneasily. Sun Hammer and Stormwind both nodded, as did the troll bodyguards.

"I don't hear anything." Emma said quietly.

"Exactly. The changelings have stopped moaning." Teagan said grimly. "Which probably means they're starting to recover. And we still have to break through their line. This is going to get tense. Søyle, keep close to Emma. Flint, Skrent, guard Sun Hammer's flanks, I'm staying by Chrysalis so I can slug her if it looks like we're getting overwhelmed."

"Stormwind, do what you guys do best. Everyone ready? Good, let's move. The sooner I have a roof over my head, the happier I'll be."

"My children will not let you take me." A hoarse alto voice whispered next to Teagan.

"Welcome back to the land of the living, Your Majesty." Teagan said. "If you want to _stay_ living you'll tell your children to let us pass."

"And if I do not, ape?" Green eyes with slit pupils glared at her.

"That's _human_, you overgrown cockroach." Teagan said sweetly. "If you don't make your children back off I will smash your skull in, and when your children fall screaming and helpless I and my trolls will finish each and every one of them. And _then_ we'll see if you can regenerate from being burned to ashes."

"You pathetic child! You don't have the stomach for it." The queen scoffed. "Never make threats you can't back up. It only makes you look weak and foolish. Everyone knows ponies do not kill."

Teagan felt herself getting angry. Forcing herself to calm down she narrowed her eyes and tried to think. Suddenly a smile spread across her face.

"You know what, Your Majesty, you are absolutely right. Thank you for such sage advice. No, wait! Thanks would never be sufficient, would they? Not for such amazing advice."

She continued to smile at the queen, her voice light and sweet. Shrugging out of her backpack she started to dig.

"No, for such valuable advice I think a _reward_ is called for! A very, very _special_ reward, for priceless wisdom so freely given! Now where is it? Aha!"

The trolls' faces were carefully expressionless, but Emma and the ponies were exchanging nervous glances. The expression on Chrysalis's face clearly showed she thought the human had taken leave of her senses.

"Here we are!" Teagan actually giggled. "Now, I know for a fact you've never met a human before, Your Majesty, because I'm the first one that ever set foot here. So you don't know anything about us, do you? Oh, we can't have _that_, oh no. Don't they say music is the universal language? This little box," she held up a little white box about the size of a pack of cards, "lets you listen to music. All _kinds_ of music! But just for you, to let you learn about humans, I've got the _perfect_ song! It will teach you everything you need to know about humans in only three minutes!"

She placed the ear buds in the changeling's ears, careful not to push them too deep. They hadn't been designed for a horse and Teagan wanted to make absolutely sure the queen heard every note.

"Ready? Here we go. I'll set it so it isn't _too_ loud, we wouldn't want you to get a headache, you poor thing."

She pressed the button.

**[A/N: If you want to hear the song, go to Youtube and type the search term "Fluttershy's Monster PMV". It will be the first entry on the list. The song is "I Feel Like A Monster, by Skillet.]**

Chrysalis jerked in surprise when the music started. But she relaxed almost instantly, not wanting to show weakness in front of her captors.

As the song continued however her irises suddenly contracted in that uniquely Equestrian display of fear. The longer it played the more she quivered, and the faster her breathing became.

When the song ended she slumped, staring at Teagan warily. Teagan tenderly removed the ear buds and replaced her MP3 player in her backpack.

"A _musician_ wrote that, Your Majesty, to express the human condition." She confided with a gentle smile. "By the way, did you know humans go to school until we're 18? Some of us until we're 22! It's to help us learn self-control, you see. It takes so long, and it's so_ hard!_ But no matter how good we get—well, you heard the song? Yeah. It's always there, Your Majesty. It never goes away." She smiled at the helpless changeling.

"_Now_ you know everything you need to know about humans."

Teagan stroked the bound changeling's neck tenderly and leaned over to whisper in the queen's ear so no one else could hear.

"You want to know a secret, Your Majesty? That monster? The one inside every human? It _is_ us, _we_ are the monster. Most of us eventually learn to control it. We cage it and put on a mask so no one ever sees the monster again. Some people even fool themselves and completely forget it's there. Can you imagine? I wish I could do that."

"But I can't. I've got a _different _problem. Because my monster isn't alone there in the dark. There's a demon in there too, one from your world. It's wrapped around my soul, whispering to _my_ monster every minute of every day, waking or sleeping. Can you imagine what that's like? My monster is constantly being poked and prodded, and it makes my monster _grumpy. _And believe you me _nobody_ wants their monster grumpy! On top of all that, I'm only sixteen, Your Majesty. I haven't gotten all the training for self-discipline yet, so it's even _harder _to control."

"On the other hand the demon isn't _all_ bad news. It gives me advice. Amazingly good advice! Because it's thousands of years old and it's gotten very, _very _good at doing what it does. And what it does, Your Majesty, is be a _weapon_."

Teagan paused for a moment, to let that sink in.

"You want to know what it's advising me to do right now? I'm sure a wise and ancient queen like you knows, don't you? Clever Queen Chrysalis! Of _course _you know. So why don't you stop tempting me to follow my demon's advice, hmm?"

Teagan lightly kissed the changeling's ear and stepped back.

"There's something else you need to know about me." She said aloud. "I am Dronning av Fjellet, the Queen of the Mountain, queen of all trolls. I don't know if you knew this little fact about trolls, but they _never lie_. Ever. So as their queen, neither do I. Because trolls get really, really _hostile_ when someone lies to them."

"And now that you know everything you need to know about humans, and a very _important_ fact about trolls, I'm going to ask you nicely. Won't you _please_ tell your children to go deep into the Everfree and leave us alone? It really would be best, don't you think?"

She stood relaxed, smiling happily at Chrysalis, who stared back impassively.

ooOoo

"Good morning!" Fluttershy chirped as she sat at the table drinking her morning tea. "I was afraid you were going to oversleep. But you were sleeping so soundly I didn't have the heart to wake you. You _are_ coming with me to welcome Teelo back, aren't you?"

She looked at him with puppy-dog eyes.

"Well, yes, about that…" Discord said, eyes shifting back and forth as he sat down. "We didn't part on the best of terms, you know. She might still be a bit _miffed_ at me."

"Oh, you mean because you tried to torture me to death and stripped her naked in front of every pony in Equestria and she got so mad she ran across all those nasty broken bottles and cut up her feet so badly she had to stay in bed for two weeks to heal afterward but still managed to nearly murder you?" Fluttershy asked with a chipper smile.

Discord's jaw fell open and he nodded slowly.

"Don't be silly!" Fluttershy chuckled. "I'm certain she's forgotten all about it by now! Well, almost certain. I mean, you _were _possessed at the time, and you're reformed now so I'll be sure to tell her not to attack you. I'm almost positive she'll listen to me, we're best friends you know." Fluttershy nodded with confidence. "Besides, it'll be—better—if I'm there when she finds out you were released."

Ignoring the look of horror on his face she picked up the teapot.

"Would you like some tea?" She asked brightly, smiling in a way that always made Discord feel all fuzzy inside. As she poured his tea he couldn't help noticing the fuzzy was missing this time.

ooOoo

Pinkie was running to the market when she stumbled.

"Drat! Oh no! My knee feels pinchy!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed in dismay. She looked around frantically, looking for whatever triggered her Pinkie Sense. A shadow passing overhead drew her attention.

"Wow, _they're_ certainly in a hurry! Oh! That's a _unicorn_ they're carrying! He doesn't look so good. Now _that's_ scary! I better tell Twilight!" She spun toward the library, only to freeze.

"Silly! Twilight doesn't live here anymore. She's in Canterlot doing all that princess-y stuff." She mumbled to herself. The other ponies in the road placidly stepped around her, well accustomed to the sight of Pinkie mumbling to herself while staring off into space.

"I'll tell Applejack! She'll know what to do!" Pinkie blurred away, running flat out toward Sweet Apple Acres.

ooOoo

Twilight was in the middle of breakfast when she suddenly sneezed violently.

"Gesundheit!" Spike said, grinning. "You might want to lay off the pepper, Twilight. You forgot to stop sprinkling while reading that report, didn't you?"

Twilight stared down at her eggs, now completely covered with dusty black flakes. "Spike, you should have told me! You sat there and watched me do it!"

"If I'm constantly telling you not to put too much pepper on your eggs then how are you ever going to learn not to do it?" Spike said, smirking.

"Ha ha." She grumbled, floating the plate aside to have room for the blueberry crepe. Spike silently handed her his eggs, which she took gratefully. It wasn't that the table was too small, she was using the same table Celestia and Luna did. But the table was piled high with piles of reports.

Spike eagerly took the pepper-coated eggs and began shoveling them into his mouth, smacking his lips in enjoyment.

"Besides, didn't Princess Celestia warn you not to let work creep into mealtimes?" Spike continued, pointing his fork at her. "Something about an alicorn needing "me" time too?"

Twilight glanced guiltily at the paperwork surrounding her. "Yes, but with Teelo coming back during the day, Princess Luna asked me to handle the welcoming ceremony and making sure her retinue's last minute details were taken care of. That puts me way behind schedule on all my other work!"

"_Me time._" Spike said sternly. Twilight sighed and slumped in defeat. She set the report aside and picked up a fork with her magic, making sure to sprinkle just the right amount of pepper this time.

ooOoo

_"August!_" Olivia sputtered. "That's not acceptable, Elaine! Call this Princess and tell her to send my daughter back _right now!"_

"I _can't_, Olivia! Don't you think I'd have already done it if I could? There's no communication with Equestria unless they open the Bridge! To talk to us they literally have to send someone over the Bridge."

"And you let Teagan go to this Equestria place with no way to talk to her?" Jacob said in disbelief.

"I didn't have much say in the matter." Elaine retorted. "The first time she was kidnapped. The second time I yelled at Sun Hammer for an hour and Teagan _still _went. We couldn't stop her. That's why Evelyn and Matt went with her. This third trip was arranged before I knew anything about it. If I'd tried to stop it there would have been a war."

"What?" Olivia asked, startled. "What do you mean? War with whom?"

"They call them trolls." Elaine responded. "Did Emma ever mention that Teagan has a club made out of dark gray iron?"

"I think she mentioned it." Olivia said after a moment's thought. "What was it? Something about Teagan never letting anyone touch it, I think."

Elaine nodded. "That club is from Equestria, just like the keepsake. It's some kind of ancient weapon made by the trolls. It's magical—or super science—arghhh, _whatever._ Anyway, it's a holy relic for them. Whoever wields it is automatically their ruler."

"Teelo calls the club Crush. Apparently Crush is controlled by an onboard AI program that—" Evelyn started to say before Jacob interrupted her.

"A what?" He asked.

"AI—Artificial Intelligence." The PI said patiently. "Teelo calls it a demon, but it's not evil exactly. It's just a control program that is focused entirely on being a weapon. Strategy, tactics, battle stratagems, and so on. Teelo says it can hold a conversation but it's frighteningly single-minded, especially when it comes to dealing with threats."

"Meaning?" Jacob asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Meaning Crush is a club and most of its advice centers on how to move into position and smash the problem." Evelyn said dryly. It's also bio-coded to the user, apparently for security reasons. _Permanently_. Long story short, it means Crush serves her and nobody else for the rest of her life."

"Why would the trolls put all that technology into a simple club?" Olivia asked with a wrinkled brow. "It's just an overgrown stick."

"Uh, no." Matt broke in. "Calling Crush an overgrown stick is like calling an ICBM with a nuclear warhead a big rock. It's _conceptually_ accurate but doesn't even hint at the whole story. Crush has all kinds of weird abilities, most of them involving the manipulation of gravity."

"Oh come _on!" _Jacob objected.

Matt held up one hand like he was swearing an oath.

"I've seen it for myself. She can wield the thing one handed—fast enough to parry stuff thrown at her. On the other hand I can't even _lift_ it using both hands. That's why she won't let anyone else touch it, they'd find out it's no ordinary club."

"That's why we couldn't stop her." Elaine said. "She was determined to go and if we'd locked her in her room she'd have just smashed the door down. This third trip—well, as much as I hate it, she's gotten herself mixed up in their politics. People could die if she didn't go back. I couldn't have that on my conscience."

"You mean humans or Equestrians?" Jacob asked.

"Equestrians. Ponies and trolls and who knows how many other species." John said somberly. "They're people too, Jacob."

"But how did Emma get involved?" Olivia demanded.

"She bolted through the Bridge just before it closed. I tried to stop her, but she was already through before I realized what she was doing." John said. "I'm sorry, Olivia."

"So why didn't they open this bridge thing and send her back immediately?" Jacob asked the question he should have asked at the beginning of this surreal conversation.

"It takes a unicorn with a great deal of skill to open the Bridge." Evelyn replied. "There aren't that many who can do it. The only one I know who can, aside from Princess Celestia—and maybe Luna—is named Subtle Dancer. However they do it, it's physically exhausting. He can only open the Bridge for about 30 seconds at a time, and no more often than every four hours."

"So how long's it been?" Jacob asked.

"Emma left at 3:00 AM." Matt said. "We waited five hours before coming over."

"Why didn't this unicorn open the bridge thing then?" Olivia asked.

The four exchanged glances. Finally John spoke for all of them.

"I don't know, Olivia. I wish to God I did."


	7. 7 Brinksmanship

**Chapter 7 – Brinksmanship**

_In which we learn the fine art of playing chicken._

* * *

Chrysalis held Teagan's gaze for so long the girl was afraid she was going to have to kill the changeling—or at least attempt it. Not to mention the other changelings… She wondered if Skrent and Flint would obey her order—and if she was cold enough to give it.

Teagan never thought the Abyss would be found in an insect-unicorn's eyes. But then Chrysalis blinked and broke eye contact without turning her head...

"Very well." The changeling queen said. "You may have free passage—if you release me. My children will allow you to leave the forest unharmed."

Teagan raised an eyebrow. "Do you really expect to dupe me so easily, Your Majesty?"

The changeling's eyes narrowed. "Do you dare doubt my word? Go, before I change my mind!"

"It's odd, really." Teagan mused, tilting her head to the side as if she were considering a puzzle. "Be they ever so vicious, villains are reluctant to lie. They will equivocate yes, but it takes a particularly heartless monster to actually lie to their opponents."

"I am _not_ lying. You may leave the forest unharmed if you release me." Chrysalis insisted.

"Oh, I don't doubt we'd make it out of the forest." Teagan said, nodding. "But as soon as we cleared the trees we'd lose our one advantage and your swarm would fall on us. Do not think me stupid, Your Majesty. That would be a fatal mistake."

"I am a queen, _child_. I have ruled for thousands of years. You may be a queen to these barbaric creatures, but you are no match for me!"

"And yet it is you who lies bound and crippled." Teagan noted. "Oh, just so you know? Your back injury is _permanent. _It can't be healed magically."

"You're lying." Chrysalis sneered. "I will be healed within a day. What of your trolls then? Will they become _hostile?_" The queen's laugh was scornful. "I wonder. Will they abandon you? Or simply tear you limb from limb like timber wolves would?"

"Gee, I don't _know, _Your Majesty. Let's find out!" Teagan said in a sing-song voice. "Søyle, am I lying?"

The troll shook her head. "No, Dronning. The wounds dealt by Mountain's Heart cannot be healed by magic. Only by time—and the scars are terrible."

Teagan nodded. "Terrible indeed. Chrysalis, the stallion who has so graciously offered to haul your sorry butt back to civilization is named Sun Hammer. _He_ bears the scars of a fight with Crush's previous wielder. So he knows first-hand how exactly how terrible the scars are. It's very likely you will neither walk nor fly ever again, immortal or not."

"I am already healing!" Chrysalis said, tossing her head. "Your prattling annoys me. Cease it at _once_."

"Those injuries weren't caused by Crush." Teelo said, shaking her head. "They happened when you hit the ground hard enough to bury yourself _five feet_ below the floor of the crater. Crush, on the other hand, smashed three feet of your spine. Everything behind your forelegs is paralyzed for good. If you force me to smash your skull—" She shrugged.

"I still have my magic." The queen growled, a green glow pulsing around her gnarled horn.

"And I still have Crush. Want to see if a crippled changeling is faster than an unwounded human? Oh, and let's not forget the three trolls who would be _very _angry with you if you did something stupid. Sun Hammer's rear hooves are uncomfortably close to your head as well, Your Majesty. He killed a troll with them. Your skull isn't nearly as tough as a troll's."

Chrysalis hesitated for a heartbeat.

_Got you! _Teagan thought to herself.

"For the sake of argument let us assume you make it past my guards and my children." Chrysalis said with a mocking tone. "What then? Will you take me to Ponyville? Am I to live my life trapped among bumpkins and shopkeepers? At least until my children rescue me and burn that wretched village to the ground!"

"I imagine Princess Celestia would have you moved to Canterlot. I understand her dungeons are _quite _secure. I doubt your children are in a hurry to go back there." Teagan replied calmly.

"I have dealt with Celestia before." The queen sneered. "I have _beaten_ her in her own throne room!"

"Yeah, about that fight..." Teagan chuckled. "Did you ever stop to consider she was operating under a severe handicap? She couldn't unleash her full power without killing everyone in the castle. I've _seen_ what happens when she really cuts loose. She gouged a hundred foot deep crater out of solid rock with just one spell. So even if you _did_ manage to crawl away she'd swat you like the bug you are. There wouldn't even be a bad smell left."

"How _dare_ you, you insolent child!" Chrysalis snarled. "My guards will—will…" Her eyes widened. "What have you _done?"_

"Killed all seven of them." Teagan said, her face softening. "After I took you down they went berserk. They wouldn't stop fighting. We had no choice."

"No," Chrysalis said softly. "No, I don't imagine you did." The grief in her voice nearly broke Teagan. Only glancing at Emma let her steel her resolve.

"Are you proud of yourself?" The changeling glared at Teagan. "How many of my guards did youkill yourself, _monster?"_

"There's the pot calling the kettle black. But to answer your question—I killed three." Teagan said quietly. "The two guarding you and the last one. The trolls took down the one who attacked Subtle Dancer, and Sun Hammer killed one. The pegasi killed the other two."

"Ponies do not _kill, _child." Chrysalis said it like a mantra against the dark. Her eyes were haunted. "Or rather they do not kill _deliberately_. Therefore I know you are lying. But while Shining Armor may not have done it deliberately, he still managed to murder half my children. And Subtle Dancer murdered yet more. Tell me, did I manage to kill him? Even now I can hear a dozen of my children whimpering from his fire—the same fire that blinded them and took their wings."

"No." Teagan said quietly. "He's still alive. In the hospital, but he'll recover."

"Pity." Chrysalis stared at her. "He _deliberately_ chose to murder my children with that hellish fire spell. For him there will be no quarter. Of all ponykind, he is the only one who broke the vow about killing."

"He were nae be the _only_ one, ye nasty piece o' work." Sun Hammer growled. "If ye had jus' let us be, nane o' this would hae come tae pass."

"Equestria will _fall _for what Shining Armor and Subtle Dancer have done." Chrysalis snarled. "Half my hive! They butchered my children!"

"And how, exactly, did Shining Armor do anything?" Teagan asked. "His spell is purely defensive. It's a _shield_, not a weapon."

"I felt them _die_." Chrysalis hissed. "The shield expanded so quickly only the ones in open air survived. The ones inside buildings, or trapped by walls were crushed to death. _Half my children died that day._"

Teagan winced at the raw pain in her voice. Suddenly she didn't want to fight anymore. She just wanted it to be over.

"Two wrongs don't make a right, Your Majesty. Your children died because you attacked Canterlot. They died today because you attacked us. I'm _sorry_ I had to kill your guards. I'm _sorry _some of your children are blind and in pain now because you attacked us. I wish you hadn't done that. If you hadn't then your children would still be alive. But there's no going back, what's done is done."

She took a deep breath to regain control.

"And you know what? I'd do it again to protect those I'm responsible for. They didn't ask to be part of this! _I _didn't ask to be part of this!"

She drew Crush.

"So it ends here and now. Either you surrender or I kill you. What's it going to be?"

Chrysalis studied her. "You would not hesitate, would you? Tell me, have you killed before?"

"I almost did." Teagan said, staring her in the eye. "If Celestia hadn't stopped me I'd have murdered a _god, _Your Majesty. Not to mention I already tried to kill you once today and the only reason you're still alive is blind luck. Your luck just ran out. Surrender or die."

"You realize if I die my children die with me?" The changeling queen asked with a steady gaze.

"I know." Teagan said, raising the club. It began to glow.

"I yield." The queen said, closing her eyes. "I choose to live. I surrender."

Because her eyes were closed she didn't see the way Teagan sagged for a moment in sheer relief.

"Send your children away." Teagan ordered, sheathing the club. Around them the sound of wings rose and one by one, with many a backward look, the changelings flew away.

All but a dozen of them.

"I have done as you asked." Chrysalis said tiredly. "But these cannot fly, they cannot see. If I send them away they will die. I do not want more of my children to die."

"Fine." Teagan agreed, sheathing Crush. "This small mercy I can grant."

"Lady Teagan, _no!"_Stormwind protested. "It would be child's play for one of the changelings to shape shift and _appear_ wounded. For all we know those are actually more guards! Chrysalis cannot be trusted."

"You want to kill her then?" Teagan asked, gesturing to the bound changeling. "In cold blood? She's a _prisoner_, Stormwind. Civilized people don't kill prisoners. She surrendered, she's crippled, and she's bound to a frame. Those changelings are burned and blind and they don't have their wings anymore."

"What happens if one of them transforms into a guard?" Stormwind demanded. "Taken by surprise, one guard could kill most of us. Could kill _her_." He pointed at Emma. "You saw how dangerous they were!"

Teagan sighed. "Stormwind, do you know what it means to be queen?"

The pegasus hesitated.

"It means I have to decide what to do when I haven't got a cluewhat the right thing is. It means if I screw up somebody could _die_. It also means it won't be me—and if you think that's a good thing you're not half the wing commander I know you are."

"_Yes_, there's a risk. I know that. But sometimes that risk has to be taken. Because _we_ aren't the monsters, Stormwind. We do the right thing, even when it's not the easy thing. Or the safe thing. Or even the _sane_ thing!"

She stared at him, feeling a thousand years old.

"Answer me this, Stormwind. If I killed her at your urging, would you be proud of the pegasus looking back from the mirror tomorrow morning?"

"No." He finally answered. "I wouldn't. Thank you, Lady Teagan." He bowed to her.

"Let's get out of here before something else goes wrong." She said quietly, and then winced.

Murphy loves that phrase.

Growls came from the edge of the clearing and a dozen slinking forms came into the light.

"Oh, you've got to be freaking _kidding_ me!" She yelled in fury, staring at the pack of timber wolves stalking the blind changelings.

"Chrysalis, tell your children to get over here, but tell them _do not run_." Teagan said, watching the pack as it closed on its wounded prey. "Skrent, Flint, Søyle, on my command I want you to shout and charge the wolves. Make it sound like the world is falling on their heads. We don't want to fight them. We just want to scare them off."

"Sun Shield, guard the changelings! Make as much noise as you can! Beat on your armor! Do whatever you can to make noise!" Teagan shouted.

"Trolls, **_NOW!_**_"_ She charged the wolves, screaming at the top of her lungs. The pegasi started shouting and slamming their hooves rhythmically against their armor, sounding like the world's largest pile of collapsing trash cans.

Three heart-stopping roars came from behind her and suddenly a wall of slate green flesh steamrolled past as the trolls got up to speed. There was no way her shorter legs could keep up so she drew her club and flung herself into the air, sailing over the trolls as Crush's magic caught her.

Startled, the wolves turned away from the changelings. Their green glowing eyes widened comically as they spotted the mountain of angry trolls headed straight at them.

Teagan came down about twenty feet in front of the wolves and slammed Crush into the ground, instinctively willing the impact force to move away from her and toward the wolves. She demanded Crush use its full weight.

That turned out to be a mistake.

_She_ stopped instantly, feeling nothing, the entire force of her fall adding its miniscule energy to the massive earthquake Crush unleashed.

She'd asked for the club's _full_ weight and Crush happily complied. Neither she nor the demon had considered what would happen when fifty-three million_ tons _of force traveling at a combined speed of nearly seventy-miles an hour hit the soil of the clearing.

As she had desired the blast wave radiated away from her in a ninety-degree cone, directed downward. Magically directed, none of the blast backlashed toward Teagan's group. The resulting tsunami of earth moved forward and upward, traveling at almost a hundred miles an hour as it scoured everything in front of it. It covered nearly a half a mile before stopping.

The tsunami's path was just a red scar. The soil was simply gone, stripped off the underlying clay, which had been able to absorb Crush's impact and direct it forward instead of down. The clay was smooth and polished from the blast. Dirt, trees, and anything else in the way was just—gone.

Unfortunately, Newton's three laws work in Equestria just like they do on Earth (well, more or less). Freed from many megatons of pressure the ground in the clearing snapped three feet sideways, toward the edge of the blast cone, and sank nearly a foot. The clearing tilted in the process, knocking everyone (except the pegasi in the air) off their feet.

Teagan nearly fell into the blast cone, saved only by Crush's quick reaction. She still ended up flat on her back, staring at the sky, her ears ringing from the roar of the angered earth.

_Let's not do that again, ok? _She thought to Crush.

_Understood_, came the demon's laconic reply.

_Where are the wolves? Did we scare them off?_

_No, we buried__them_. _Isn't that what you wanted?_

Teagan felt a tinge of remorse at more needless deaths before remembering the timber wolves weren't really alive. No doubt they'd turn to smoke, seep out of the ground, and reform.

_Might take them a while, _she thought, struggling to her feet. By the time she reached them the trolls had gotten back to their feet and were shaking off the dirt.

"You guys ok?" Teagan asked.

"That was _kjempeflott_, _min Dronning!" _Søyle exclaimed. There was a broad grin plastered across her face. Her eyes were shining, it was clear she was excited and—well, _giddy_.

"Ja, Dronning!" Skrent agreed with a wide grin on his face, raising one fist and punching the sky. Even Flint had a little smile as he gazed over the destruction.

Teagan groaned. "We are _not_ doing that again_. Ever_."

She trudged to where the pegasi had landed, surrounding the wounded changelings. Two were still down, clearly in bad shape.

"Percival, hi. Are you sorry you came to this party?" Teagan asked the pegasi she'd actually ridden last year. She suppressed a shudder as she remembered him casually flying over Tišina's pit during their scouting mission.

"Lady Teagan, it is an honor to meet you again." The armor encumbered pegasus bowed to her, seemingly oblivious to the eighty pounds of enchanted barding he wore.

"Pity it had to be like this. How many medics do you have left?"

"None, unfortunately. Stitch was the only one attached to the wing." Percival said ruefully. "The rest know some first aid, but this is beyond us."

"Yeah, me too." Teagan frowned in thought. "Any idea how bad their injuries are?"

Percival nodded to the ones standing. "It seems their chitin was able to protect them from the worst effects of the fire. It couldn't save their wings or eyes, but they were the ones on the edge of the spell, they were able to bolt before being destroyed. The two on the ground—" He turned grim. "They have lung damage. Without a skilled unicorn healer they'll be dead in less than two hours."

"Damn it. All right, if we have to carry those two and lead the rest, how long will it take to reach Ponyville?"

"Longer than they have." Percival said, pawing the ground unhappily.

"Horse apples. How many patient slings are left?"

"We had five. We used one for Subtle Dancer and managed to scavenge three. The last one was burned too badly."

"Do not even _think _about it, Lady Teagan!" Stormwind said angrily as he trotted up to them. "I am not tying up the rest of my wing to save _changelings_. My orders were to escort you safely to Canterlot, and that's what I'm going to do. We'll make a stop in Ponyville to get the rest of the wing but then you and Emma are going to Canterlot even if I have to carry you there on my own back!"

Teagan felt her temper flare.

"You'll follow my orders because Princess Celestia told you to!" She snapped. "And my orders are to sling those two and airlift them to Ponyville!"

"Eight pegasi to carry them." He reminded her. "Leaving two to fly escort—and _only _if the wing completely abandons its mission! I won't do that, Lady Teagan!"

"Then you'll face charges of insubordination." Teagan said quietly. "Your duty is to obey Celestia's orders, and those orders were to obey _me_."

"Those orders were to see you _safe_." Stormwind countered with fiercely narrowed eyes. "We're in the middle of the Sisters-forsaken Everfree Forest! With all the noise we've been making every large predator within ten miles is headed for us! We leave now and _maybe _we'll make it out."

"You see that?" She stabbed a finger at the hill of dirt and debris and the blast cone in front of it. "You really think I'm going to die here? I have my trolls, and I have Sun Hammer and I have Crush. That's all I need to get to Ponyville. And not even a _dragon_ is going to stop me. You have your orders, Wing Commander. _Follow them_." She glared and put one hand on Crush.

The stallion glared back and raised one rear hoof, half turning his body. Teagan's arm tensed.

"You do not want to do that." She said in a tightly controlled voice. "Take your pegasi and get to Ponyville, Stormwind. Save those two changelings because it's the _right_ thing to do. Please."

"I would not want to be you when Princess Celestia gets my report." He growled, lowering his hoof. "Percival, ready two of the slings. You and I will fly cover. May Celestia guard us because we're not gonna be able to guard ourselves!"

Percival saluted and started shouting orders.

Teagan breathed a sigh of relief and turned to go.

"Lady Teagan." Stormwind's voice was still angry. When she turned back he raised his head.

"I better see you in Ponyville, Your Majesty. I still have a mission to complete."

"We'll be right behind you, Wing Commander." Teagan bowed to the pegasus.

"See that you are. Watch yourself, Lady Teagan."

She went back to Sun Hammer and Emma as the pegasi prepared to airlift the two rapidly failing changelings.

The trolls walked silently behind her, impassive faces revealing nothing.


	8. 8 Balance Of Terror

**Chapter 8 – Balance Of Terror**

_In which we learn why Equestrians prize harmony so highly._

* * *

"Why have you sent away the pegasi?" Chrysalis asked incredulously. "Foolish child, now we have no guards!"

"First, those two changelings have burns in their lungs." Teagan snapped. "Without immediate medical attention they _wouldn't_ make it. That is not acceptable, Your Majesty. Nobody else dies today. _Nobody_."

The queen regarded her with an inscrutable gaze.

"And second?" She asked finally.

Teagan smiled grimly. "It gives Equestria plausible deniability concerning the pact between us. It's better if Celestia has no _official _knowledge of it."

"And why should I pact with you?" Chrysalis asked curiously. "What can you offer me? My life? That threat is growing old, child."

"You heard Stormwind. Every predator in a ten mile radius is headed straight for us." Teagan said, smiling. "_I _wouldn't have to lift a finger. Just unhitch the travois and walk away. Think your children could get here in time?"

"More threats? Well at least you came up with a new one." Chrysalis said, rolling her eyes. "A pact has two sides, child. You want something from me. What is it?"

"Your army." Teagan said bluntly. "They guard us _from a distance_ while we get the hell out of Dodge. It goes without saying if I think you're double-crossing me then I kill you—something else I didn't want the pegasi to see. It would just upset them. Ponies can be _so_ prudish sometimes. In exchange, you and these ten wounded changelings make it to Ponyville, get medical treatment, _and _I'll intercede with Princess Celestia on your behalf."

"Why should she listen to you?" Chrysalis asked suspiciously.

"She's a _very_ good friend of mine." Teagan replied serenely. "And no, I'm not lying. I'm queen of the _trolls_, remember? You can believe everything I say."

"How can I trust you won't kill me once we're out of the forest and my changelings are no longer needed?" Chrysalis challenged her. "You've made it very clear my life means nothing to you."

"What part of "no lying" did you not understand?" Teagan asked, raising an eyebrow. "I guarantee you'll make it to Ponyville alive, that you and your changelings will get medical treatment, _and_ I will speak to Celestia and urge leniency toward you. Of course, I'd be more inspired if I can tell her you willingly refrained from treachery. All you have to do is keep the pact."

"You'll ask her to let me go if I do?" Chrysalis asked with a gleam in her eye.

Teagan laughed. "Not likely. But let me put it this way. If I _don't_ intervene it's very possible you'll spend the rest of eternity as a statue decorating the Royal Gardens, just like the last two immortals that pissed her off."

"It seems I have no choice then." Chrysalis said with a sigh. "Very well. My children will guard us in exchange for medical treatment for myself and my wounded, and your intervention with Celestia on my behalf. Do we have an accord?"

"So long as you keep your end of the bargain I'll keep mine." Teagan said. "Now let's get out of here!"

Teagan had thought the blind changelings would be next to impossible to lead, but the telepathic bond they shared with their queen allowed her to keep them roughly in position and moving in the right direction.

When they set out Skrent was leading, with Søyle and Emma behind him, and Sun Hammer behind them. Teagan walked beside the queen, Crush in hand and her head on a constant swivel. The wounded changelings were behind her, with Flint bringing up the rear.

The edge of the forest was normally a forty-five minute walk from the Bridge but the blind changelings cut their pace in half. Fortunately Skrent seemed to know the way as they slowly made their way toward safety.

It was a nerve-wracking trip. Although the changelings stayed mostly out of sight and well away from them, occasionally Teagan would catch glimpses of them flitting through the branches and she constantly heard the buzz of changeling wings just on the edge of hearing. She could see Skrent and Søyle watching the flitting changelings the same way she did, and she could see Sun Hammer's ears pivot constantly.

The only one who didn't seem all that tense was Emma. She trudged along silently, only occasionally glancing around, but never in response to a changeling getting closer than was comfortable. It was as if she were just walking in the woods, thinking about something.

Half an hour later, and still an hour from the forest's edge at their reduced speed, Skrent held up his hand to halt the group. He knelt and put his ear to the ground.

He stayed still for nearly a minute before rising and coming back to her.

"Large group of ponies headed this way." The troll rumbled in a quiet voice. "Two hands of fingers." He held up his five fingered hands and folded them twice to illustrate. "Be here quick. Three minutes, might be less."

_At least twenty ponies. The Sun Shield, maybe?_ Teagan thought to herself, hope rising. She didn't trust the changeling army and would be very happy indeed to have Stormwind and his troop back.

"Your Majesty, have your children fall back, but stay in range just in case they aren't friendly. Sun Hammer, unhitch the travois so you can fight. Søyle, fall back, so you can guard both Emma and the queen. Flint, watch our back."

"And if it _is_ the pegasi returning? What of our pact then?" Chrysalis asked as Søyle helped unhitch the travois and lower it gently to the ground.

"Your children leave, we go to Ponyville and I keep my end of the bargain." Teagan said, rolling her eyes. "Trolls don't do treachery either, Your Majesty."

She turned to her best friend.

"You ok?" She asked. Emma was looking pale.

"You were right. I should never have come." Emma said in a shaky voice. "Is it always this bad?"

"No." Teagan said. "Today's been a busy day, even by my standards. Hang in there. This is probably the cavalry coming to the rescue."

"What if it's more monsters?" Emma asked, her face pinched in worry.

"Here's something I learned on my first trip, Emma. _Don't borrow trouble._ I doubt these are monsters headed our way, but if it is just duck and let Søyle protect you. That way I'll be free to teach our visitors Monster Manners 101." She shrugged.

"But like I said, it's probably not bad guys."

"I hope you're right. Hey, what's with the flying thing?" Emma asked to distract herself. "Since when is my best friend a superhero? And how did you make that earthquake?"

"Nope, none of that was me. That was all Crush. Turns out it's a magical Swiss Army club. Who knew?" Teagan said, smiling.

The conversation was interrupted by the rumble of fast approaching hooves. To Teagan's infinite relief it was indeed the Sun Shield, along with a score of Ponyville residents, including Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy. Most of the rest were stallions. It was the first time she'd seen stallions outnumber mares in a herd anywhere except the Sun Shield. Teagan didn't recognize any of the stallions except for Big Mac.

Stormwind landed in front of her while Rainbow Dash hovered behind him, grinning at her.

"I see you managed to stay alive, Lady Teagan." Stormwind said in a dry tone. "No doubt in spite of your best efforts."

"I love you too, Stormwind." She said, grinning. "I've never been so glad to see a herd of ponies in my life! Can we go back to Ponyville now?"

"What? Don't you want to go dragon hunting?" Stormwind asked snidely. Teagan chuckled.

"Not particularly. I've got wounded to attend to. Let's get back to Ponyville so I can do that and then you can give me a proper chewing out, hmm?"

"Lady Teagan, I am looking forward to it." He turned away to give the Sun Shield orders. Rainbow Dash took the opportunity to land beside Teagan.

"Whoa, they said you'd captured Chrysalis but I didn't believe it!" Rainbow Dash said, staring at the changeling queen, who refused to acknowledge her existence.

"Not helping." Teagan said tiredly. "Dash, it's been one hell of a day so far. Don't get me wrong, I'm _very_ glad to see you, but don't annoy her, all right? She's difficult enough as it is."

"Sorry." The pegasus sniffed. She caught sight of Emma. "Hey cool, you brought another human! Is she a pegasister too?"

"No, it's—complicated. Rainbow Dash, I'd like you to meet Emma, my best friend. Emma, this is Rainbow Dash, the fastest pegasus in all of Equestria."

"You know it!" Rainbow Dash laughed. "Any friend of Teelo's is a friend of mine. Put her there!" She lifted a hoof. To Teagan's surprise Emma gently bumped her fist against the bottom of Rainbow's hoof.

"Hello Rainbow Dash. I'm glad to be finally meeting the real you." Emma said, trying to sound like she hadn't spent the better part of the last two hours fearing for her life.

"The real me?" The pegasus cocked her head. "Whatcha mean?"

"I talked to your figurine." Emma said. "You know, the keepsake you guys gave Teelo?"

"Oh, heh, I'd forgotten about that." Rainbow Dash chuckled. "It was kind weird to see that thing moving around and talking like me, actually. After all, it might _look_ like me but something that tiny just can't hold a candle to my true awesomeness!"

Teagan chuckled. "Or your humility, either."

"Heh, I'm showing off again, aren't I?" Rainbow Dash laughed nervously. "Rarity says I gotta watch that, but it's just so hard when you're as amazing as I am."

Emma couldn't stifle a helpless giggle. Teagan felt a profound sense of relief. If she could still laugh then maybe she wasn't going to be scarred for life.

"Speaking of Rarity, where is she? I would have expected to see her dashing to the rescue along with the rest of you."

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "She would have, except the CMC started talking about getting their cutie marks for fighting monsters, and she had her hooves full corralling them. If she hadn't you _know _they'd be sneaking off after us and getting in all kinds of trouble."

Teagan chuckled and nodded. She'd seen Sweetie Belle and the others cause enough chaos on the cartoon.

"Howdy, Teelo! Looks like you landed smack dab in a pickle!" Applejack came up and eyed Chrysalis. "Heard there was an almighty tussle, too. We got here as soon as we could, Sugarcube."

"Yeah, it's been a rough day." Teagan admitted. "Any word on Subtle Dancer?"

"He's in poor shape, but is gonna pull though. Way I heard it the docs were swearin' a blue streak at whoever did the ham-hoofed job o' stitchin' him up." Applejack said. "They had ta take 'em all out so's they could clean the wounds afore a unicorn healed the cuts proper. Ah didn't think doctors knew that kind o' language, truth be told."

Teagan winced; glad Fluttershy and Pinkie had joined the group and brought an end to that particular conversation.

The now much larger herd set off, each changeling getting a pony to guide them so their pace improved dramatically. Teagan was a bit wary of the way the stallions were eyeing the changelings, but beggars can't be choosers, so she didn't say anything.

She introduced Emma to Pinkie, whereupon Pinkie promptly buried Emma in conversation, jokes, questions, and babble. Meanwhile, the other three listened as Teagan filled them in on what had been going on. She left out her repeated threats to kill the queen. Somehow she didn't think her friends would take it well.

Chrysalis ignored them all, closing her eyes and apparently trying to fall asleep. It didn't fool Teagan, however. She caught the occasional ear swivel as the queen listened to the story.

When they neared the edge of the forest Teagan excused herself and made her way to Stormwind.

"Ok, if the changelings are going to try jumping us it will be once we clear the trees." She murmured to the wing commander. He nodded imperceptibly.

"That's what I would do." He murmured back. "The Sun Shield will be ready, Lady Teagan."

"They might not attack." Teagan said softly. "Chrysalis and I have a fragile understanding. She knows if they attack she's my first target."

"Hmm. Better alert your bodyguards." Stormwind said laconically. She nodded and fell back to Skrent, motioning him to bend down so she could speak privately. The troll nodded.

"What passes, Dronning?" Søyle asked softly as Teagan fell back to walk with her.

"It's possible the changelings will attack once we clear the trees. Or not, the queen might actually hold to the pact. If she keeps her word, we keep ours. In any case, please continue to guard Emma. I _really_ appreciate this, Søyle."

"It is my honor to serve you, Dronning." Søyle said, smiling. "You are nothing like what I expected. I am pleasantly surprised."

Teagan chuckled. "Yeah, I get that a lot."

She stopped walking and let the herd pass her by, finally falling into step beside Flint. She quickly filled him in.

He nodded without speaking, ever the silent one. She decided to keep him company, watching the woods to either side as the troll did the same, and kept a wary ear behind them too. She suddenly caught a flash of red and tawny brown off to one side. It vanished as soon as she saw it.

"Manticore." She whispered to Flint, nodding in that direction.

"Ja, it been tracking us for some time." Flint rumbled, surprising her by speaking. "Just curious, not hungry. We in its territory. It watching."

"How can you tell?" Teagan asked quietly. "Could it attack?"

Flint shook his head. "We too big mouthful." There was grim amusement in his tone.

"Too big, or too many of us?" She asked. He thought for a moment.

"Yes." He said, and then fell silent again.

A couple of minutes later they left the Everfree Forest and stepped into Equestria. Ordinarily, leaving the dark trees gave Teagan a sense of relief, as though she had escaped a trap. Today, Teagan felt safer in the forest, what with the changeling army possibly ready to pounce on them now that they were vulnerable to their fiery dive-bombing attacks.

The Sun Shield shot into the air, forming a protective canopy over the herd, and the pace quickened as much as the blind prisoners would allow.

"Ow!" Chrysalis exclaimed as one travois pole dropped into a depression with a bone-jarring thump. "Watch where you're going you overgrown lout!"

"Oh, o' _course_, Yer Majesty." Sun Hammer said in mocking apology. "Begging yer pardon, I dinnae ken hou A could be _so_ gye clumsy, ye great mirky besom! Now, shut yer gob an' enjoy the ride! An' would it kill ye tae show just a _wee_ bit o' courtesy?"

"I'm sure your Princess will make sure it _does!"_ Chrysalis snapped nastily.

"Sun Hammer, just ignore her. She's in a grumpy mood." Teagan said hastily as the big stallion stopped dead in his tracks. He snorted several times with suppressed anger but started moving again. Teagan couldn't help but notice his hoof prints were _much_ deeper than just a moment before.

"Your Majesty, insulting the Princess in front of Sun Hammer is a _stupid_ idea." Teagan hissed, leaning over the bound changeling. "Please don't do that again."

"Yeah!" Pinkie Pie chimed in. "What's got you so grouchy, Queen Crabby McCranky pants? Is it cause you're all tied up and your back legs are all caty-wumpus? I know what you need! I'll sing you a song and cheer you up!" She took a deep preparatory breath.

"Pinky, you remember what the Princess said about you singin' ta foreign dignitaries?" Applejack asked hastily.

"Thaaaaatttt—I should never do it again?" Pinkie asked brightly. Applejack nodded, smiling.

"That's right. We don't want another Appleloosa, now _do_ we, Sugarcube?"

"Hmph. You start _one_ teeny-tiny little war by singing a song and they never let you forget it." Pinkie grumbled. Chrysalis stared after the pink pony as she marched off, muttering to herself.

"Just so you know, Your Majesty?" Teagan said quietly. "I'd never inflict Pinkie's singing on any living thing. Even _I _have limits." She shuddered. Chrysalis's eyes widened and her head snapped back around to track Pinkie's movements.

"Is she really that horrible a singer?" Emma asked. She wore the glazed look everyone got who unexpectedly met Pinkie for the first time.

"Well—not _always_. That's the problem." Teagan said carefully. "We're almost home and dry, Emma. How are you feeling?"

"Better." Emma admitted. "Pinkie Pie is—well—"

"Relentless?" Teagan asked, grinning.

"Yeah." Emma smiled, still slightly stunned. "I don't know how she did it but I'm feeling almost _cheerful_."

"That's what Pinkie does." Fluttershy said in a quiet voice. "Hello, you're Teelo's friend, aren't you?"

"Yes, I'm Emma. You're Fluttershy, right?"

"Oh—yes. How did you know?"

"I talked with your figurine." Emma said, smiling. "I'm happy to meet you."

"Likewise." Fluttershy bobbed her head nervously.

"Fluttershy, Emma's my best friend. Emma, Fluttershy's my other best friend. She was the first pony I met here. I was lost in the Everfree and she found me and let me stay at her house the first night."

"Thank you, Fluttershy." Emma said earnestly. "I owe you one for taking care of Teelo like that. If you ever need anything you just let me know, ok?"

"Um, okay." Fluttershy said. "But it really isn't necessary. I always try to help those in trouble. It's what I do, you see."

"You rescue people lost in the woods?" Emma asked, surprised.

"Oh, no! I just happened to run out of medicinal herbs and had to restock my supply. I normally don't go into the Everfree. It's very dangerous you know."

"Yeah, I found that out." Emma said ruefully. "So what do you do?"

"I take care of animals that get hurt." Fluttershy said. "And if a pony needs my help I always do my best to help them, just like I do my animals. So when I found Teelo, naturally I helped her too."

"For which I'll be eternally grateful." Teagan said, smiling at the yellow pegasus. "You're good people, Fluttershy."

"Oh, my!" Fluttershy blushed, embarrassed by the compliment.

The final minutes passed with amiable conversation and, much to Teagan's surprise, they arrived in the outskirts of Ponyville without being jumped by the changeling army.

Perhaps her luck was beginning to change.


	9. 9 Yesterday's Enemies

**Chapter 9 – Yesterday's Enemies**

_In which Teagan discovers time does not heal all wounds and the price of power is often quite high._

* * *

Their first stop was the Ponyville hospital.

The appearance of the changeling queen—clearly injured and obviously a prisoner, not to mention the ten blinded and burned changelings, set the normally placid staff into a frenzied rush.

Happily for Teagan the medical ponies showed none of the reluctance to help changelings that Stormwind or the Ponyville stallions had. Teagan explained the nature of the queen's injuries, and warned the unicorn doctor magical healing of her spine would be useless because of Crush's interfering magic. He frowned at her in clear disapproval but said nothing as a pair of nurses whisked the queen off for examination.

He was even unhappier with the condition of the changeling drones.

"What caused these injuries?" He asked coldly. "They look like they dived face-first into a bonfire."

"The cause was a blast of magical fire." Teagan said carefully. "I'm not at liberty to disclose the details. Please do what you can for them, Dr. Pressure."

"Where should I send the bill?" The red unicorn asked bluntly. "These injuries will need specialist healers, and extended care. Regeneration spells are not cheap, Lady Teagan."

"I will discuss the matter with Princess Celestia, doctor. If it turns out the Equestrian crown won't cover the charges the Troll Kingdom might. If they decline _I'll _deal with it. You have my word."

"Very good, Lady Teagan. I will contact Canterlot General immediately." The doctor bobbed his head and moved off.

"They tried to kill us!" Emma protested. "Why should you have to foot their medical bills? Shouldn't their queen be on the hook for it?"

"I made an agreement, Emma." Teagan said tiredly. "Payment for services rendered. You really think changeling drones will have any bits squirreled away?"

"I agree with your friend, Lady Teagan. It isn't your responsibility to pay for healing their injuries. They attacked the Royal Guard during a high-level diplomatic mission. That is a _very_ serious crime." Stormwind said.

"And how would you feel if the situation were reversed, Stormwind?" Teagan asked irritably. "If you were injured that badly and captured? How would you feel if your wings got burned off and your eyes were burned out of your head? How would _you _want to be treated?"

Teagan was angry. The pitiful way the drones stumbled around, their breath hissing in and out as they fought not whimper tore at her in spite of the fact she'd have gladly killed them during the attack. She _had _killed the queen's guards without a qualm (and that scared her down to her toes). But now that she had time to think it was Discord lying broken and helpless before her all over again.

She was angry at Chrysalis for attacking them. She was angry at Emma for being stupid and putting herself in danger. But mostly she was angry at herself for not having been able to stop any of it. She was a _queen_, damn it! She had a magical club that gave her all these wonderful powers! In _Equestria_, where nobody was supposed to die, and fights were bloodless affairs usually involving thrown food or minor fisticuffs!

But instead of custard pies she'd watched a single unicorn slaughter an army of changelings with magical _fire_, and she'd used that horrific event merely as a _distraction_ so she could try and murder Chrysalis.

Her anger fed her guilt, which in turn made her even angrier. So she tried to assuage her guilt by making sure the surviving changelings at least got their eyes and wings back. That still left Chrysalis paralyzed for the rest of her immortal life—which was Teagan's fault too. And somehow she didn't think she'd ever be able to fix it, which made her even _angrier_.

To add to her problems, she was positively _starving, _and that fed her anger as well. The hunger was affecting her judgment and eroding her self-control. She knew if she didn't eat soon she was going to do something stupid and probably violent, no doubt creating an international incident.

But certain things wouldn't wait, raging hunger or no. Sighing she moved toward the nurse's station.

ooOoo

He was conscious, but feeling no pain.

"Hi!" He said, chuckling happily. "My name is Subtle Dancer, what's yours?"

She turned to the nurse in shock.

"Don't worry." The nurse said soothingly. "It's just the sedatives talking. He won't remember any of this after he wakes up. It's kind of like sleep walking. That's why I'm here making sure he doesn't try to get out of bed and hurt himself."

"How are you feeling, Subtle Dancer?" Teagan asked with forced cheerfulness.

"Great! Jus' great…you like chocolate éclairs? Cause I'm a big éclair fan. Got a whole library full back at my house." He nodded firmly. "They keep trying to alphabetize themselves backwards, but I put my hoof down." His eyes rolled slowly. "Whee….gotta go bye-bye."

His eyes closed and he started to snore.

"He's out of danger, Lady Teagan." Nurse Red Heart said kindly. "By tomorrow he should be coherent and awake, but unfortunately not mobile. Because of his shoulder separation, he'll be out of commission for at least three weeks, even with magical healing."

"That's unfortunate. I'm due in Canterlot tomorrow, and I'm leaving for Hejm the day after that." Teagan fretted. "I wanted to talk to him before I left, to thank him. He saved us, you know. He's a hero."

"Really?" Nurse Red Heart's eyes turned to her patient. "I'll be sure and let him know you asked after him. I'm sure he'll be happy to hear it."

"I'd appreciate that. Do you know where the changelings' rooms are?"

"Third floor." Nurse Red Heart's voice turned a little cool. "They're being treated for their burns. You won't be able to visit them until at least this afternoon."

"Ah. What about Queen Chrysalis?" She asked.

"The doctor is with her now. He says you told him her spine can't be magically healed. Is that true? How could you inflict such a permanent injury?" The nurse's voice held condemnation. Teagan sighed.

"Because if I hadn't the changelings would have murdered everyone in that clearing. I hate it, but I would have hated being dead even more."

"Oh. How many of the changelings died?" The nurse asked with closed eyes.

"Too many." Teagan said grimly. "_Far_ too many. Thank God we didn't lose anyone from our side."

"Do you know why they attacked?" The nurse asked. Teagan shook her head.

"I think we were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Chrysalis said something about revenge against Shining Armor but she called Subtle Dancer by name. It almost sounded personal."

The nurse glanced at her patient. "I wonder why?" She asked quietly.

ooOoo

Teagan was finally sitting at an outside table at Horté's Café impatiently waiting for her food, along with Emma, the trolls, Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Stormwind. Fluttershy had left to go fetch a friend she wanted Teagan to meet, promising to be right back. Pinkie Pie had vanished after giving Emma a thorough sniffing.

"What was all _that_ about?" Emma asked, staring after the fading pink blur vanishing down the street. Teagan laughed.

"That, my dear Emma, is the sound of the orchestra warming up for a grand Ponyville tradition. You are _doomed_. Doomed, I say!" She said in a sepulchral voice, a wide grin splitting her face. "Am I right, Rainbow Dash?"

The cyan pegasus started laughing. "Oh, yeah! You're not getting away now that Pinkie's got the bit in her teeth."

"Watch yer language, Dashie." Applejack warned, but there was a twinkle in her eye. "Knowin' Pinkie Ah'd say it'll start by sundown."

"Unfortunately, we won't be here at sundown." Stormwind said rather stonily. "The plan was to take the afternoon train to Canterlot. As it is we barely have time for this—frivolity." He sniffed.

"I'm not budging until I eat, Stormwind." Teagan growled. "I'm so famished I could gnaw my own arm off. It's left me _way_ beyond cranky."

"There are many stories about Mountain Heart, _min Dronning_." Søyle unexpectedly spoke up in the uncomfortable silence that followed. "It is said that Mountain Heart feeds from its wielder. The greater the powers drawn forth the more it must feed. Only a handful of wielders ever dared call on the powers you used today. And none were ever able to leap into the sky as you did."

"Really?" Teagan asked, suddenly wondering if Crush might be doing more than just making her hungry. It was made for _trolls_, after all, who were much larger and stronger than she was. "What happened to them, the ones who dared?"

"The need for such powers usually occurs in battle, _min Dronning_." Søyle said soberly. "Sometimes even Mountain Heart is not enough to turn the tide. When a Kongen falls Mountain Heart lies there until the trolls can reclaim the territory and a new Kongen comes for it."

"But not this time." Teagan said soberly. "This time it let the ponies take it. Any idea why?"

Søyle shook her head. "Mountain Heart is a mystery even to the Alene, _min Dronning._ But, as always, a new _linjal_ came for it, and brought it back to us. We are still grappling with the _steinhellen_."

"The what?" Teagan asked, furrowing her brow.

"How do you say? In the cavern, when the ceiling collapses in a single piece?" Søyle asked.

"Fallout." Emma said unexpectedly. "I don't know what that fallen stone is called, but she's saying they're still dealing with the _fallout_, Teelo."

"Ah." Teagan said, face clearing. "Hey, wait a minute! Since when do you speak troll?"

"I don't." Emma stuck her tongue out at the other girl. "But it's kind of obvious."

"Not to me." Rainbow Dash disagreed.

"Me neither." Applejack chimed in. "O' course Ah ain't no troll. Never hung out in caves, nor met any trolls afore the Snøskred."

"I'm not a troll either." Emma said. "But come on, that one was _easy_."

"If you say so. Where's the _food?"_ Teagan moaned. "I'm _starving_. If it doesn't get here soon I'm gonna start chewing on the table!"

"Is it really that bad?" Emma asked, frowning.

"You have no idea." Teagan answered. "It feels like I haven't eaten for a week. Aren't restaurants supposed to send out bread or something to tide you over?"

"Teelo, darling!" A melodious voice interrupted her whining. "Are you all right?" Rarity was hovering nearby, having approached without being noticed.

"Hey, Rarity." Teelo smiled with pleasure. "I'm glad to see you! Yes, I'm fine—_starving_, but not a scratch on me."

"I'm so relieved! When Princess Celestia's guards brought poor Subtle Dancer to the hospital the grapevine went absolutely insane. Then the rest of the guards came back without you! Well, I must admit I feared the worst."

"I sent them back." Teagan explained. "Subtle Dancer needed immediate treatment and two of the changelings would have died if they hadn't gotten to the hospital in time. But we eventually got back in one piece, thanks to the Sun Shield and Ponyville's volunteers. I hear the CMC kept _you_ busy."

"Darling, I was at my wit's end! Imagine Sweetie Belle and her friends off hunting _monsters_. They'd have been gobbled up by the first creature they came across! The Everfree is no place for little fillies like them."

"You can say that again. It's no place for troll queens either!" Teagan agreed fervently. "Why don't you join us for lunch? It will settle your nerves."

"Why, thank you. I believe I will." Using her magic she plucked a pillow from an unoccupied table and crowded in with the rest of them.

It was about this time their food arrived. Teelo's eyes lit up as a massive bowl of stew was placed in front of her. She dove in without waiting for the others. It was a pony-sized portion, meaning it was more than three helpings for a normal girl like Emma. The latter watched wide-eyed as Teagan single-mindedly worked her way rapidly to the bottom of the bowl.

"You're going to make yourself sick." Emma said, taking a spoonful of her own stew. "Hey, this is really good!"

"Don't worry about me." Teagan replied, grabbing a piece of bread and sopping out her bowl. She ate it in two bites. "Using Crush makes me ravenous. Last time I was here I ate like a horse—sorry, _pony_. Literally! Pony-sized portions nearly every meal and I was _still _losing weight."

"I'm jealous." Emma said with a laugh. "The way you work out it's not surprising, though. You spend every day at Matt's dojo and Lord knows what you do at home."

"Matt made me go to the doctor when I got back." Teagan told her audience, who had just watched her demolish five ears of corn with lots of butter smeared on each one. Even the trolls looked impressed.

"They did all kinds of tests, looking for everything from tape worms to cancer. Finally they just put it down to a, quote, "idiosyncratically high metabolism", unquote." She chuckled. "Bottom line, I have to eat a lot or I lose muscle mass. I'm averaging 6,000 calories a day now and that seems to keep me stable. It drives my mom nuts."

"Wow!" Rainbow Dash commented. "Most I ever ate was 9,000 and that was when I was doing double training. And I weigh a lot more than you do!"

"What _do_ you weigh?" Teagan asked. "Four hundred pounds or so?"

Rarity burst into an ineptly smothered fit of giggles at the look on Rainbow Dash's face.

"No!" The pegasus denied indignantly. "Three sixty! What do I look like, an earth pony?"

"Actually, Sugarcube, Ah weigh around four forty ma self." Applejack broke in soothingly. "Come ta think on it, Ah think Pinkie's around four twenty-five her own self. She always was a bit on the skinny side."

"What about you, Rarity?" Teagan asked.

"Me?" The unicorn asked, surprised. "One should never ask a lady her weight, darling! But if you must know I am a svelte three hundred and eight six pounds. What about you, dear?"

"A hundred and twenty." Teagan said immediately. "And it's hard for me to keep it that high. I'm supposed to weigh about one thirty."

"That's right, rub it in." Emma moaned. "I'm supposed to weigh a hundred and forty and I weigh a hundred and fifty two."

"Why is it mares are compelled to compare their weights?" Stormwind sniffed. "Stallions never worry about things like that."

"Well, a fine stallion such as you clearly leads a healthy lifestyle. I'm sure you get lots of fresh air and exercise, flying around in all that dreadfully heavy armor." Rarity said smoothly. "Alas, most of us lack such a _superb_ exercise program. To catch a stallion's eye a mare must be constantly vigilant about her weight." She artfully tossed her head, letting her mane shift and bounce as she batted her eyes at him.

Stormwind found himself watching her mane with keen interest before the Guard training reasserted itself and he donned a stoic mask. He was sure the unicorn had done it quite deliberately and knew exactly what reaction she'd provoked. But you'd never know it to look at her—she was the very picture of ladylike innocence.

ooOoo

The meal was winding down. Everyone else had finished their lunch and Teagan had gotten the massive piece of double-chocolate cake she'd ordered for desert. She was only half way through with it when Fluttershy came trotting up.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, girls! It took longer than I thought because he was being stubborn." Fluttershy apologized. "But I finally managed to persuade him."

"Persuade who?" Teagan asked, not seeing anyone behind the yellow pegasus.

"What? Oh, no!" She spun around. "Now where did he get off to? Come on out, it's ok. She's not going to hurt you, you're just being silly!"

"Hurt him?" Teagan exchanged baffled looks with Emma. "Hurt who? Why would I hurt anybody?"

"See? There's nothing to be afraid of! So come on out and be a good boy." Fluttershy crooned. Teagan chuckled to herself, expecting to see Angel come stalking out to glare at her.

A creature came creeping out, all right. Only it wasn't a small white rabbit. Teagan stared for a moment, her mind refusing to acknowledge the two legged serpentine form. She sat in bewilderment, trying to put a name to the bizarre mishmash of different creatures that stood no more than twenty feet away.

"Hello, little Teelo!" It said with a cheerful grin and a small wave. "Did you miss me?"

That voice.

That loathsome, hateful, unforgettable _voice._

Teagan felt like someone had dumped ice water all over her. The frigid chill slammed through her, imploding until it reached her stomach. She felt the prickle of claws against her throat, heard that vile whisper in her ear, remembered the sick horror of not being able to move as terror slithered through her...

The girl dropped her fork and began to tremble as her eyes grew impossibly wide.

The racing chill slammed into her belly with unstoppable force, squeezing the horror harder and harder until she couldn't breathe, she couldn't see and still the icy fear slammed inward, compressing more and more fear into that tiny ball, until suddenly the ball ignited in a catastrophic rage that blew her out of her body to another place.

Around her world darkened as black clouds covered the sky and the trees whipped in the howling winds of chaos. She stood naked in front of the madly cackling monster as lightning stabbed around them and felt the glass rip through her bloody feet with every step she forced her agonized body to take. She raised her club…

The table went flying as Teagan rose and drew Crush, a bloody glow blasting outward from her body. Ponies cursed and scrambled madly out of her way as she started screaming and staggering toward the creature that had tormented her beyond sanity, the monster she simply couldn't kill—the horror that _would not die_.

Swinging the club she brushed away the sturdy small fence separating the restaurant tables from the street as easily as she would have cobwebs, her glaring eyes fixed on her target. The wood and metal fence disintegrated, shrapnel flying outward with thuds and ringing tinkles.

He just watched her come, frozen to the spot, mismatched eyes wide with shock, his mouth open in a wordless rictus of fear.

She hurled herself at her nemesis, club coming around like a baseball bat, every ounce of strength devoted to smashing the abomination out of existence.


	10. 10 Tomorrow's Allies

**Chapter 10 – Tomorrow's Allies**

_In which Teagan finds out why violating the laws of physics is a very bad idea, Celestia receives a surprise visitor, and a distasteful fact of statecraft is disclosed in confidence._

* * *

In Teagan's blind rage her subconscious demanded Crush's full weight be released, only this time targeting the eight-foot tall monster in front of her. The last tiny shred of her conscious mind focused the power _upward _so the town would be spared the worst of the horrific explosion to follow.

For his part, the terrified draconequus only had time to make one tiny change to reality before fifty million tons hit him at a hundred miles an hour. Crush's magic instantly transferred its momentum to Discord, translating into mind-numbing accelerations not even possible in Earth's universe.

The world turned white and an earth-shattering _crack-ka-boom_ made the town shudder on its foundations, knocking most of the residents off their hooves. Teagan herself was smashed into the ground, the shock of the impact snapping her out of her flashback and almost into unconsciousness.

Fortunately Crush's magic also negated _most_ of the backlash, directing it into Discord instead of the town. Unfortunately the trickle of residual power smashed windows and knocked over carts and merchant stalls.

Discord became a slave to the law of conservation of momentum, accelerating at over two _million_ gravities. His passage through Equestria's sky sent a sonic boom racing around the planet, absorbing some of his ludicrous inertia. In his terror he instinctively changed reality to seek out the one bastion of safety he knew in this suddenly far-too-chaotic world. That saved the country between Ponyville and Canterlot a blast of superheated air that would have burned everything in its path.

But not even Discord could change reality enough to avoid _everything_…

ooOoo

Celestia was enjoying a leisurely lunch. For once fate had smiled on her, giving her a particularly light workload. She was celebrating the beautiful summer day with a single glass of wine imported from Prance. Her first sip was heralded by a tremendous _boom_.

The stiff wind that accompanied the sound snapped her mane and tail around, covering her eyes. It shocked her, since only the magic of the solar wind normally affected them. Hastily she set her wineglass down and wrestled with her abruptly uncooperative snarl of hair.

Just as she tamed her errant tresses a tumbling mass came screaming down out of the sky. _Literally _screaming. Before she thought to catch it with her magic the long snake-like body slammed into the lawn at a shallow angle and then skipped like a stone—straight at _her_.

Frantically she spread her wings and leaped into the air as the massive snake slammed into the table where she'd just been sitting. The remains of her lunch sprayed everywhere. Through some quirk of fate her wineglass shot straight upward, allowing her to snag it with her magic before it spilled.

Discord groaned from within the tangled pile of twisted metal. A single plume of smoke curled lazily upward from his slightly scorched form. She allowed herself a tiny smile, enjoying the sight of her old enemy so woefully undone.

Settling lightly to the ground, she waved a negligent wing at the Sun Shield swarming toward her. She took another sip of wine, allowing Discord time to gather his scattered wits.

"I take it Lady Teelo wasn't happy to see you?" She asked nonchalantly when Discord finally managed to focus on her.

"She tried to murder me. _Again._" He complained. "All I did was say hello! That club of hers is a public menace!"

Celestia sighed and drained her wine in a single swallow. It appeared her lazy day had suddenly gotten very busy indeed…

ooOoo

Teagan came to her senses sprawled in the bright summer sunlight. She remembered Discord appearing, the fearful rage, and swatting him like a fly just before the world exploded in her face. But now all she felt was vaguely numb.

"That was a _flashback_—I guess I really do have PTSD. Oh, joy." She groaned. A pair of hideously ugly faces peered down at her in concern.

"_Min Dronning?"_ A third, only slightly less ugly face appeared. The king's wife knelt beside Teagan. "Are you injured?"

Teagan took a moment to consider the question before venturing to move an arm. When no stabbing agony followed she tried to sit up, only to have the world spin treacherously.

"Whoa, head rush." She muttered as Søyle caught her. "No, I don't think so. Just dizzy, that's all. Give me a minute."

"Teelo? Are you OK?" Emma's anxious voice came from her other side. Not wanting to scare her friend any more than she already had, Teagan took a deep breath and fought the numbness away, leaving her with a slight headache. She blessed all those hours Matt had spent forcing her to learn self-control. It was a Godsend right now.

"Yeah. I think I just had a flashback. That _was_ Discord, right? _Please_ tell me I didn't just splatter some innocent pony!"

"Is Discord an eight-foot tall snake with arms and legs?" Emma asked. "All different colors and mismatched horns?"

"Yeah, that's him. He's _supposed _to be a statue in the Royal Gardens. What the hell was he doing here? Oh, God! _Fluttershy!"_ In a sudden panic she struggled to her feet. "Is she OK? Where is she?"

"I'm OK, but why did you hit Discord with your club, Teelo?" Fluttershy asked in a stern tone. Teagan was shocked to realize Fluttershy's gaze was unsympathetic and disapproving.

"What do you mean, _why? _He tried to murder us, remember?" Teagan replied, bewildered. "He's _dangerous!"_

"He's not the same pony, Teelo." She said, her gaze softening. "He's reformed and living at my cottage, now. He's my _friend_. I hope you didn't hurt him."

Crush fell from her nerveless fingers, landing with a thump. She stared at the yellow pegasus with her mouth open, unable to process what she'd just heard.

Discord reformed? That was like hearing the pope declare Satan had repented and was now living in the Vatican.

"That's impossible." She whispered. Louder, she said "He's _evil_, Fluttershy! You can't trust him!"

"Um, actually..." Rainbow Dash said, joining the conversation. "Fluttershy's kinda right. When the Princess asked us to reform Discord I thought she'd eaten one of Pinkie's special mushrooms, but it turns out she knew what she was doing. Fluttershy managed to make him fly the straight and narrow. It took her a while, but she did it."

"Discord?" Teagan asked flatly. "You expect me to believe he's on the side of the angels now?"

"What's an angel?" Rainbow Dash asked, tilting her head. "Never mind, the bottom line is Discord really has changed. Well, mostly. He still does weird stuff now and then but _mostly_ he's OK. On the other hand, I gotta say that was the most _awesome_ thing I've ever seen you do!" She threw her head back and laughed.

"My _cabbages!"_ A despairing wail cut through the air. A green stallion with gray mane and tail was staring at his overturned cart, crying. He was the first pony Teagan had ever seen with a tuft of long gray hair underneath his chin.

"My _restaurant, sacré bleu!"_A cream colored pony with blue mane and tail, wearing a suit top was glaring around. "Who is responsible for dis?" To Teagan and Emma it sounded like the pony had a French accent. Rarity quickly intercepted the incensed pony and tried to calm him down.

Teagan sighed. It looked like her "little moment" was going to be _expensive_…

ooOoo

Discord and Celestia were sipping tea companionably, seated at the newly replaced table. She had listened to his version of what happened and (after mentally filtering his story of its more virulent adjectives) was prepared to admit he probably hadn't done anything wrong. Apparently, Lady Teagan had screamed and charged as soon as she laid eyes on him.

Outwardly serene, her mind was running in overdrive, frantically chasing down all the implications of the attack. The fact the girl had knocked the draconequus _twenty-five miles _away worried Celestia more than she cared to admit. While her grasp of physics was tempered by the fact Equestrian laws of nature were subservient to the whims of magic, she was fully aware Lady Teagan should _not_ have been able to do what she had done.

That she had, in fact, done it meant Crush was far more powerful than anyone, herself included, had ever suspected. In all her studies of the lore surrounding Mountain Heart there had been no mention of such an astounding ability.

True, there were tales of troll kings causing massive avalanches, or slaying dragons, but those feats paled in comparison. Even Discord didn't have this kind of raw power.

"I think we should pay Lady Teelo a visit." The princess said, letting her cup settle gently onto its saucer.

"Oh no! I am _not_ going back to Ponyville until that she-devil is gone!" Discord said in panic. "Third time's the charm, you know. She's tried to kill me twice now. There's not going to _be_ a third time if Ihave anything to say about it!"

"Calm yourself, Discord. I will protect you." They both paused, contemplating the sheer improbability of that sentence.

"That's what Fluttershy said just before dear little Teelo started swinging." Discord said, sniffing. "_Oh, there's nothing to be afraid of._" He mimicked Fluttershy's voice perfectly. "_She's not going to hurt you._"

He snorted.

"Ten seconds later I'm sailing through the air and slamming into your oh-so-precious little table."

Celestia absorbed that.

"Did you teleport?" She asked.

"There wasn't time." He said grumpily. "Wham, bam, thank you ma'am! Two seconds later I'm lying there looking up at your lovely flank."

"Surely it look you longer than that? It's twenty five miles to Ponyville by air." Celestia pointed out mildly.

"Two seconds, tops." Discord insisted. "If I hadn't cast a spell at the last minute they'd be _pouring _me into my casket! That girl is _dangerous_, Celestia. You should really do something about her before she kills us all."

"I'm sure there's a perfectly reasonable explanation for what happened." Celestia said calmly. "Just as I'm sure Lady Teelo has no plans to kill anyone. Well, anyone _else_." Her smile positively gleamed in the summer sun.

"Yes, ha, ha. Very funny, Celestia." Discord sniffed. "See how funny it is when she comes after _you_."

"She won't." Celestia said with calm certainty. "I will insure she doesn't come after you again either."

"Oh? And how, exactly, are you going to manage that?" Discord demanded.

The princess smiled. "I'm going to use the magic word."

She laughed as Discord quite deliberately slammed his face into the table.

ooOoo

Teagan was sitting with Mayor Mare, the three trolls, and Emma on stage in the town hall. A depressingly long line of ponies with equally long lists of property damage were stretched across the room and out the door.

It was now three o'clock in the afternoon, and Teagan's belly was rumbling complaints at her. She wasn't nearly as hungry as she'd been when she arrived, though. The huge queue was doing a good job of killing her appetite.

"Yes, Bon-bon, I am quite aware your windows were smashed." The Mayor said tiredly. "_Everyone's _windows were smashed. _My _windows were smashed too. It was a very loud bang."

"It's not just my _windows!"_ Bon-bon said heatedly. "The glass got into my last batch of candy! I'm going to have to throw it _all_ out! I don't dare sell any of it, it could kill some pony! That's going to be an _enormous_ loss of income! Not to mention replacing my inventory and the time lost—I can't afford that!"

"You won't have to." Teagan said, fighting back her headache—again. "I'll make sure your losses are made good."

"Oh." Bon-bon blinked, seeming to focus on Teagan and the trolls for the first time. "Lady Teagan, I—thank you. It's just I really _can't _afford it, you see, and the rent is coming up…"

"Given the disaster I'll be sure all landlords give their tenants an extension on the rent until we can work all this out." The Mayor said firmly. "Now please, Bon-bon, others are waiting."

"OK." Bon-bon bobbed her head. "Sorry." She turned and fled.

Before a mint-green unicorn with a golden lyre for a cutie mark could present her list of damages the ponies in line were suddenly moving nosily, and then parting to either side, bowing deeply.

Princess Celestia walked through the doorway, a pair of the Sun Shield at her back. Teagan stiffened as Discord came into view, her hand reaching for Crush before she controlled herself.

"Oh my gosh, Teagan, that's Princess Celestia. Quick, what do I do?" Emma whispered frantically, smiling a sickly panicked smile at the approaching alicorn. "I've never talked to a princess before!"

"Just follow my lead." Teagan said quietly, rising to her feet. _This is not going to be fun,_ she thought, her stomach knotting. Any remaining hunger was definitely gone now. When the alicorn came on stage and stopped in front of her Teagan bowed deeply.

Princess Celestia nodded her head in return, expression neutral. Discord was hiding behind the alicorn, nearly twisting his body into a pretzel to do it.

_Oh boy, this is so notgood, _Teagan thought, wondering just how angry the Princess was.

"Welcome back to Equestria, cousin." Celestia said quietly. "You always manage to bring so much _excitement_ with you when you arrive."

Teagan winced.

"Ponyville seems to have suffered a mishap." She noted, glancing at the mass of ponies now standing and listening avidly. "It almost looks like a tornado came through town. Not to mention that tornado sent me an unexpected guest." A tiny smile played across her mouth and was gone. "We expected you in Canterlot by now, actually. But it seems you're helping the Mayor handle the emergency. Very public spirited, of you."

Then Celestia frowned. "I would have expected to find Stormwind and Subtle Dancer with you. And Sun Hammer. Are they aiding in the recovery efforts?"

"Sun Hammer and Stormwind are." Teagan said, wincing again. "But Subtle Dancer is in the hospital, Your Highness. He was pretty severely injured."

"What happened?" Celestia asked, her eyes widening with surprise.

"One of Chrysalis's personal guards jumped him during the ambush." Teagan said. "I had the Sun Shield airlift him straight to Ponyville's hospital. He's out of danger now but the nurse told me he has a separated shoulder and won't be up and about for at least three weeks."

_"Ambush?" _Celestia asked, startled. "By the changelings? Where?"

"At the Bridge." Teagan answered. "Chrysalis was leading a changeling army. Five of her personal guards smashed the chariots before we knew they were there. Then two of them eluded the Sun Shield's counter attack. Sun Hammer got one, but the other one nailed Subtle Dancer before the trolls could reach him."

"And what of Chrysalis?" The Princess asked in a neutral tone that made Teagan quail inside. "Did she escape? What of her army?"

"Your Highness, any further discussion about this should be in _private_." Teagan said, lowering her voice. "Trust me."

Celestia studied the grim expression on the girl's face.

"Very well." She said, and then turned to address the room. "My little ponies! Please clear the hall. The Dronning and I must confer in private. Rest assured, now that I am aware of Ponyville's problems help is on the way. Return to your homes for now and continue your cleanup efforts."

It was amazing how quickly and _quietly_ the hall cleared. Teagan wondered if she would ever have that instant obedience from trolls. Somehow she doubted it.

Teagan kept Søyle and Emma with her although she sent Skrent and Flint join the pegasus guards at the door. Princess Celestia asked Mayor Mare to stay and she noted uneasily that Discord had remained in Celestia's shadow as well. He was definitely nervous, and kept shooting little glances her way when he thought she wasn't looking.

Part of her was wary, but another part was grinning savagely at his discomfiture. A third part was shaking its head at the savage glee she felt.

_Crush's influence, no doubt, _she thought to herself.

"All right, now that we're alone tell me what's been going on." Celestia said in a business-like tone. It was a very unnerving side of her, one Teagan had never seen before.

"I don't even know where to begin." Teagan said, exhaling noisily.

"Start at the beginning. For example, who is your friend?" Celestia asked, looking over at Emma.

"Oh, right! Your Highness, may I introduce Emma Halstead, my best friend—who _isn't _supposed to be here." Teagan stared hard at her friend. Emma had the grace to blush. "She followed us across the Bridge from a Rainbow Dash sized sense of loyalty."

"H-hello, Your Highness." Emma stammered. "I talked to your figurine back home. I'm glad to finally meet you for real."

"Ah, I see. It's very rare to find such loyalty, cousin. You should treasure it." A genuine smile lit up her face for the first time since she'd entered the hall. "Hello, Emma. So I take it the spells worked then? I wasn't sure they would on the other side of the Bridge."

Emma nodded nervously. "Yes, they did. It was the most amazing thing I've ever seen, especially the way your figurine could fly. Can you really fly like that?"

Emma's hands flew up to her mouth. "Oh, I'm so sorry! That was rude—"

"It's all right, Emma. Yes, I can fly." She spread her wings and winked. "To tell you the truth I don't fly nearly as much as I'd like to. My poor guards get so nervous if they're not pulling me in my chariot. You'd think they'd remember I've been flying a very long time. I really am quite good at it."

Teagan chuckled. "I missed you, Princess, especially your sense of humor."

"The feeling is mutual, cousin. So, Emma followed you across the Bridge, and Chrysalis ambushed you there. I take it something momentous happened next?"

"You could say that." Teagan nodded. "I originally thought we were just in the wrong place at the wrong time, but some of the things Chrysalis said made me think she has a grudge against Subtle Dancer. Her main target seems to be Shining Armor, but I suppose that's natural enough. She says he killed half her children when he ejected the changelings from Canterlot."

Celestia nodded sadly. "That is true. Any that were caught in an enclosed area were—crushed." Her voice was quiet. "I imagine Chrysalis's hatred of me has grown as well."

"Mmm. Here's the funny thing though. I _don't_ think it was an attack of opportunity. She knew we would be there. She had an army of hundreds with her. Somebody tipped her off."

"You think changelings have infiltrated Canterlot?" Celestia's eyes narrowed. "We've been on guard against that, Lady Teelo. Ever since the wedding."

Teagan shrugged. "It isn't impossible, but there are less risky ways."

"For instance?" Celestia asked, intrigued.

"Bribing or blackmailing someone who knew the information." Teagan said. "Canterlot's lousy with diplomats of all species. Any one of them could be an intermediary for changeling agents. They arrange to meet outside Canterlot and the agents would never risk detection. The intermediaries wouldn't even need to know they were dealing with changelings."

"That sounds like Matthew speaking." Celestia said shrewdly.

"It is." Teagan smiled. "Espionage is a high art form on Earth these days. Cat's paws are one of those classics that never goes out of style. But there's more to it. I think both Subtle Dancer and I were targets."

"Ah, of course. If you were to die while under Equestria's protection…"

"Exactly. Søyle, what would Fjell do then?" Teagan asked.

"Declare war on the ponies." Søyle said instantly. "There would be no doubt who was to blame for the Dronning's death, since they failed to guard her. The people would demand justice and the council would not gainsay them. And Fjell himself would not hesitate. He holds you in high regard, Dronning."

"And in one fell swoop Chrysalis gets the trolls to do her dirty work." Teagan said grimly. "Everyone knows it would be suicide to kill Celestia, because she raises the sun. But Chrysalis wouldn't have to kill _Celestia_."

"She'd only kill Celestia's subjects instead." Emma said suddenly, staring at the alicorn. "I heard you call them _my little ponies_, Your Highness. Do you think of them as your children?"

"In a way." The Princess admitted. "I certainly understand why Chrysalis would think I do."

"There's a twisted logic to it that would appeal to her. Shining Armor killed half her children, so she gets the trolls to kill yours. The problem is, for a shape shifter, Chrysalis isn't particularly subtle." Teagan said. "This doesn't feel like something she'd come up with on her own."

"Yes, dear Chryssy was never that bright." Discord chuckled, his first contribution to the conversation.

"You know Chrysalis?" Teagan asked, an alarm bell ringing in the back of her head. "You didn't happen to have a little _chat_ with her, did you?" Her voice was icy.

"Now, Teelo, is that an accusation?" He asked nervously. "I haven't spoken to her in thousands of years. Not since that business with—" He paused, glancing sideways at Celestia. "Well, never mind, it's old news. I'm _reformed_ now. Rainbow Bash said it herself."

"Rainbow Dash." Teagan corrected in a monotone. "And why am I having trouble believing you?"

"I know you and I have a—history." He said. "But I _was_ possessed by Nightmare at the time, and I did my time in that horrible stone statue, _and_ you did just knock me all the way to Canterlot, so can't we let bygones be bygones, hmm?" He batted his eyes at her. She felt her stomach roil.

"Discord, the only reason I'm not bashing you into spaghetti sauce right now is because the Princess seems to tolerate you for some reason. I don't like you, I don't trust you, and I'm not buying this story about how you've _reformed_." Teagan said tightly. "And now it turns out you know Chrysalis too? I am _not_ happy, monster. At all."

"I know you don't trust him," Celestia said, "but as a personal favor, could you not attack him again? Or refer to him as a monster? _Please?"_

When Celestia batted her eyes Teagan had no defense. She sighed in defeat.

"All right, as a favor to _you,_ I'll agree to peaceful co-existence with _him_. But the instant he attacks me or mine, I will _end_ him."

Celestia blinked, clearly not expecting the girl's caveat.

"Fair enough." The alicorn finally replied. "Perhaps in time you'll come to accept that he actually has reformed himself."

"That's going to take a _long _time." Teagan said, staring coolly at Discord. "Talk is cheap, Discord. Words are plentiful. _Deeds_ are precious. You'll have to show me you've reformed with your _actions_, not just pretty words."

"Of course!" Discord beamed, straightening. "Tell me what you want me to do, little Teelo! Anything at all. You'll see! I'm the new and improved Discord! Reformed and prepared to prove it!"

"Really?" She asked suspiciously.

"Really! Anything! Just name it." He said with a big grin.

"Two things then. One, _do not call me Teelo_. My name is _Teagan_." The girl said with a level stare. "And two, fix the town."

Discord nodded happily. "Of course, I'll just—what?" His eyes bugged out.

"Fix the town. Get all the glass out of Bon-bon's candy. Put all the busted windows back together. Rebuild the buildings that were damaged. You know. _Fix it_." Teagan smiled at the draconequus. "Make it like it was before it got broken. You can do that, right? Snap your fingers and change reality so the town is just like it was before?"

"That's _preposterous!" _He exclaimed loudly.

"Oh, well if it's beyond you, I understand." Teagan said in a sympathetic tone. "I just thought, you know, hey, it's Discord and now that he's reformed it should be simple for him. But if I overestimated you, I do apologize."

"Celestia!" He protested.

The alicorn regarded him mildly. "You did say _anything_, Discord."

"Yes, I know, but—" He stared at the two rulers, one pony, one human. "Oh, very well. One repaired town, coming right up."

He paused for a moment, closing his eyes, and then snapped his fingers. There was a curious sound, like ringing wind chimes and the hall's gaping windows were suddenly filled with glass. A wave of disorientation swept over the town, making the residents stagger again. One unfortunate stallion was left dangling from a roof as his ladder collapsed. Quick thinking by a passing pegasus saw him safely on the ground and sighing in relief.

"There! I hope that proves I've reformed." Discord was actually panting. "You do realize, Lady _Teagan_, you were the one that made the mess in the first place, right? I'm the victim here, yet you expected me to clean up after you. Well, I _did_ it. Satisfied?"

"It's a start." Teagan admitted. "Keep in mind you're the one who traumatized me in the first place. If it wasn't for you kidnapping me, I wouldn't have had a flashback and bashed you."

"Yes, well I heard about my dear sister's nap getting interrupted, you know." Discord smirked. "It seems if I hadn't kidnapped you then dear old Celestia here would be a frozen popsicle and her precious ponies would be nothing but bones by now."

"And you'd still be a statue for all eternity." She pointed out. "Instead you spent what, six months in jail and now you're free."

"I've been _paroled, _not freed." Discord corrected her.

"Paroled is better than being a pigeon roost." She pointed out.

"True." He sighed.

"Perhaps we should return to the topic at hand?" Celestia asked gently. "As amusing as this is, I really need to know what happened to Chrysalis and her army."

"Yeah, about that." Teagan shifted uncomfortably, glancing at Mayor Mare. "What I'm about to say must never be revealed to _anyone, _do you understand, Mayor? You'll have to swear to take this knowledge to your grave. If you don't want to do that I'll have to ask you to leave."

"Your Highness?" The Mayor asked with the barest quiver in her voice. "What should I do? Do you think I should leave?"

Celestia grew still.

"It might be for the best." She said reluctantly. "I will not demand you leave, Mayor, but understand if you stay you may hear something you can never unhear. I would not burden you with such secrets. However, it is your decision."

"Does it involve the safety of Ponyville?" The Mayor asked Teagan, visibly controlling herself.

Teagan hesitated. "It _might_. But I can absolutely guarantee you _really_ don't want to know."

"Ponyville is my responsibility." The Mayor said firmly. "If this secret could affect Ponyville my duty is clear. Very well, I swear to keep the secret and tell no one."

"Are you certain about this?" Teagan asked, staring the Mayor in the eye. "Nobody would blame you for leaving, least of all me. There are some things ponies were not meant to know."

"I give you my word." The Mayor then smiled faintly. "Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye. Nobody ever breaks a Pinkie promise, Lady Teagan."

"True enough. All right, don't say I didn't warn you." Teagan turned her attention back to Princess Celestia.

"After Chrysalis had her guards destroy the chariots she ordered her army to charge us while the five guards attacked from inside the ring. The _torch_ ring." She said with heavy emphasis on the word _torch_.

Celestia closed her eyes, a look of pain on her face.

"Yeah." Teagan said grimly. "Subtle Dancer timed it perfectly. The flames caught the entire first wave of attackers, out to about sixty feet—at least a couple of hundred changelings."

"What?" The mayor asked, confused.

"Subtle Dancer threw a spell, Mayor. It turned the torch flames into dragon breath." Teagan explained. "You do know what happens to creatures caught in the middle of dragon fire?"

The tan pony's pupils shrank suddenly and she put both hooves in front of her mouth. "No..." She started to tremble.

"It killed about a third of the changeling army." Teagan said. "Burned them pretty much to husks. Chrysalis was completely devastated and her army thrown into disarray. I used her shock to leap into the air and smash her with Crush."

"You actually _hit _her?" Celestia asked, leaning forward and staring intently. "Like you did Discord?"

"Not with as much force." Teagan shook her head. "Chrysalis still hit the ground hard enough to leave a crater and bury her body five feet below the crater floor."

"_You_ _killed Chrysalis?_" For the first time Teagan got to see a look of utter shock on the alicorn's face. For some reason Discord looked shocked as well.

"That wasn't the end of the story." Teagan said, holding up her hand. "When she went down her bodyguards turned bug nuts crazy and attacked me. I hit them with Crush and this time I used Crush's full weight, just like I did to Discord."

"I didn't hear a boom earlier today." Celestia said slowly. "Surely we'd have heard it?"

"The guards weren't as durable as Discord, Your Highness." Teagan said after a moment. "They—burst, like giant tomatoes. I think most of the force passed right though them without being transferred."

Celestia shivered. The Mayor was in shock.

"And the other guards?" She finally asked.

"They wouldn't stop fighting." Teagan said quietly. "Of the seven guards she brought I killed three, Sun Hammer killed one, Søyle killed the one who attacked Subtle Dancer, and the Sun Shield killed the other two."

"Killed? Ponies don't kill." The Mayor said. "We're _civilized_, we never kill!"

"That is not entirely true, my little pony." Celestia said gently. "Sometimes, to preserve everything they love, a pony must take a life. It is never done lightly, because a little bit of them dies too. The consequences—well, those ponies are never the same again."

The Mayor stared at Celestia, the question she dared not ask written on her face.

Celestia chose to ignore the unspoken question and took the Mayor into a hug. The two of them remained motionless while the others kept still out of respect.

"Thank you, Your Highness." The Mayor's eyes were haunted.

"I'm so sorry, Mayor." Teagan said. "I didn't want you to hear this."

Teagan's voice seemed to rouse the politician. She braced and took a deep breath.

"I chose to stay." She said, blinking. "I wish to Celestia's blessed self I had not, but I did. Oh! Begging your pardon, Your Highness." She said, belatedly realizing what she'd said—and, more importantly, to _whom _she had said it. Small patches of red appeared under her tan furred cheeks.

"I am not offended, my little pony. Although I must admit I _am_ baffled why ponies constantly say things like that." Celestia said with a smile. "Still, if it offers you comfort, I will not object."

"Thank you, Princess." The Mayor said in clear relief.

"With Chrysalis dead, the changeling drones will not survive for long." Celestia said with a tinge of sadness in her voice. "In spite of their attack on Canterlot I would not have wished this upon them. I also want you to know I don't condemn your actions, Lady Teelo. You acted to save yourself and my little ponies, as you always have. Thank you for saving them."

"I appreciate that, Your Highness, and I hope you feel the same way about Subtle Dancer. If he hadn't used that spell the changelings would have swarmed us. No one would have survived. And then the trolls would have declared war on Equestria and it would have been a bloodbath."

Celestia winced. "That is a gruesome image indeed, cousin. No, I don't blame Subtle Dancer. I can only pray he doesn't blame himself. Nor can I allow him to take the same path Sun Hammer did. He is too important to Equestria."

"And Sun Hammer wasn't?" Teagan's voice held just a trace of an edge.

"Sun Hammer is a very stubborn stallion." Celestia replied gently. "I offered to heal his eye and his legs, since the troll king inflicted those injuries without using Crush. He refused me, cousin. He was very gallant about it. He said he never wanted to forget what he had done. He also insisted on taking responsibility for killing the troll king, and making sure everyone knew."

"Too honorable for his own good." Teagan murmured. "I can so see him doing that. I apologize for my suspicions, Princess. I should have known better."

"Friendship is a powerful thing, cousin." Celestia said with a smile. "Sun Hammer has very few friends, and I am grateful for each one of them. I do not begrudge you your suspicion. But thank you for seeing it was unfounded."

"Am I ever going to get this queen thing right?" Teagan asked with a half smile.

"As with all things, it takes practice." Celestia said. "I have no doubt you will master it soon enough."

"Well, there _is_ one single ray of sunshine in this whole mess." Teagan said. "But it really complicates things."

"You mean they aren't complicated enough?" Celestia asked, raising an eyebrow.

Teagan snorted.

"You know me. When I complicate something I deliver only the very best complications. Chrysalis is actually still alive, Your Highness. As we speak she and a dozen changeling drones are being treated at Ponyville's hospital for their injuries—which were pretty horrible."

"Hah! I knew Chryssy was too tough to let a little thing like _that_ kill her." Discord said, smirking. "She should thank me for—" He paused, noticing both Celestia and Teagan giving him interested looks. "Oops."

"Spill it." Teagan growled. "What did you _do? _You did tip her off, didn't you?"

"No, I most certainly did _not _"tip her off". What a vulgar expression." Discord grimaced. "And for your information, little girl, I really haven't seen her in thousands of years. Not since I defeated my darling sister for control of this lovely ball of mud, in fact."

"So why did you say she should thank you?" Teagan asked pointedly.

"Because if I hadn't punished her all those years ago she wouldn't have survived your little love tap." Discord retorted.

"You punished Chrysalis?" Celestia asked sharply. "Why?"

"Isn't it obvious? She sided with my sister against me! After I went to all the trouble to provide her and her brood a lovely new home, too! Ungrateful insects."

"What did you do to punish her, Discord?" Teagan asked, tensing.

"Oh, nothing major. I just made her outsides match her insides, her and her entire kingdom. I will admit to being just a teensy bit miffed but in my defense she had allied herself with my sister, who _was_ trying to destroy me. So I took her memories too. Whenever she tries to remember her life before the curse she gets a splitting migraine, and transmits it to her children as well. The curse was just a bonus—to make sure nothing could kill her. I wanted her to have a _very_ long time to enjoy the fruits of her treachery."

"You really _are_ an epic douche-bag, aren't you?" Teagan said contemptuously.

"Such _language!_ What do they teach teenagers these days? No respect for their elders! And the word is _"was", _Lady Teagan. I'm reformed now. I only use my magic for, blehg, _good_."

"So reformed you can't even say it without gagging." Teagan noted. "At least you're consistent."

"But he _is_ trying, cousin." Celestia said mildly. "Trust me, if you knew him as well as I do you'd see how far he really has come."

"_Thank_ you, sweet Celestia! At least _someone_ believes in me." Discord said with wide shining eyes.

"Of course that isn't to say he hasn't got a long way to go." Celestia noted calmly. Discord deflated with an audible hiss.

"That was cold." He said. "Honestly, sometimes I wonder why I even bother."

"So what _did_ you do?" Teagan asked the draconequus, who had his nose stuck up in the air, sulking. "What did she look like before?"

"Oh, she was so cute it was nauseating." Discord scoffed. "You'd have loved her, she was all soft and frilly and pretty—if you like butterflies, that is. Very brightly colored, I remember that. Flutterpony, I think they called themselves."

Celestia's intake of breath was sharp enough to attract everyone's attention.

"Are you saying Chrysalis is the queen of the flutterponies? You turned the _flutterponies_ into changelings?"

"Yes?" Discord offered, confused.

"Change them back." Celestia said and her voice was that of a goddess, an _angry_ goddess. Aware he'd somehow made a _serious_ mistake Discord shrank away, looking like he was thinking about teleporting.

"What are flutterponies?" Teagan asked quickly. She'd never seen Celestia angry before. Even when the alicorn had fired on Tišina she hadn't been _angry_. Teagan had no desire to be on the same _planet_ as an angry Celestia. Her question was actually a desperate attempt to distract the alicorn.

It seemed to work. Celestia collected herself for a moment. When she spoke her tone was calm again, but her earlier words lingered like the memory of thunder.

"Flutterponies came to Equestria much earlier than the rest of us." Celestia explained. "Many thousands of years earlier. Before today I never knew how they crossed the Bridge. Flutterponies were powerful magicians, closely aligned with the land. Equestria shaped them as much as they shaped it. At the height of their power flutterponies looked like earth ponies with butterfly wings and antenna. The legends say one day they simply vanished. Now we know _why_." She stared coldly at Discord. "So, Discord is going to change them back, _isn't he?_" Lights chased each other up and down her horn.

Discord cringed.

"Now, Celestia, normally I'd be overjoyed to change them back for you as quick as a bunny since you asked so _nicely_. But there's just one teensy-weensy little problem…"


	11. 11 Plausible Deniability

**Chapter 11 – Plausible Deniability**

_In which we discover evidence of absence may in fact be absence of evidence._

* * *

"They _will _send her back, right?" Olivia asked nervously. "I mean, before August?"

"They should have already done it." Elaine said tiredly. "It's possible Subtle Dancer's simply too tired and they'll send her back tomorrow. The Bridge opens in the corner of our living room, so we'll call you the instant she shows up."

"There's got to be _something _we can do." Jacob said with an edge of desperation in his voice.

"Be patient." Matt said. "I know that's not what you want to hear, but sometimes that's all you can do. I got to know the ponies pretty well while I was there, Mr. Halstead. They're good people, and very family oriented. They'll understand how important it is that Emma be sent back as soon as possible. Since we can't contact them, we'll just have to wait for them to open the Bridge again."

"What do we tell Alex in the mean time?" Olivia asked. "He's going to be back by seven tonight. I've got to tell him _something_."

Evelyn frowned. "I'm a bit concerned she isn't back already." The private detective said, tapping the table in front of her absently. "It's _possible_ Subtle Dancer was too tired to open the gate, but that seems unlikely. It's been nearly six hours. If Emma had come back and found nobody there she'd have either called or high-tailed it back here, right?"

"Are you saying something happened to them?" Olivia asked sharply. "Something bad?"

"I doubt it." Evelyn said, making a soothing gesture. "Teagan's own troll bodyguards were there, along with Princess Celestia's Royal Guard. I doubt even a dragon would want to mess with them, certainly nothing smaller would. Besides, trolls are eight feet tall and have claws that can dig through stone. As for the Royal Guards, they've fought dragons before—and won."

"Then what _are_ you talking about?" Jacob asked angrily.

"We don't know how the Bridge of Days works." Evelyn responded. "Our science can't even begin to explain something like that. Maybe there's some kind of interference that crops up, you know some kind of dimensional storm or something. Maybe that's blocking it."

"_We_ don't know, but _she_ might." Matt said, pointing at Luna's statuette. He addressed it.

"Your Highness, is there anything that would block the Bridge from being opened, some kind of magical storm perhaps?"

The figurine opened its wings, a thoughtful look on the tiny face.

"We cannot say, Matthew." It finally said. "We have never studied the Bridge of Days. An ethereal storm is not utterly impossible. But please remember thou art speaking to a simulacrum, not the real Princess Luna. Our knowledge is quite limited."

"Would Twilight's figurine know?" He asked.

"Perhaps, but these toys took only the barest essence of our real selves. Thou mayest ask, but do not be disappointed if the simulacrum does not know. Our magic fades for today, we must rest."

The blue figurine turned solid.

"Man, the batteries in these things suck." Olivia said in disgust.

"Didn't Princess Celestia say something about playing with them in the sunlight?" John asked speculatively. "Maybe they're solar powered?"

"Worth a shot." Matt replied. He scooped up the two alicorns and put them back in the box. "Do you have a table in the backyard, Mrs. Halstead?"

"There's a picnic table." She answered. "This way."

She led them through the house and into a spacious back yard. They settled around the table and Matt pulled out Twilight's figurine.

"Hello, Twilight. Can you answer a question about the Bridge of Days for me?" Matthew asked.

The little unicorn sat down on her haunches like a dog.

"Hey, Matt! Oh, the sunlight feels _wonderful!" _A big smile lit up her face. "I might be able to. Remember, I'm not the real Twilight though."

"Do you know if the Bridge of Days could be blocked by some kind of magical storm? Emma went with Teelo and she wasn't supposed to. We thought you guys would send her back but it's been six hours now and we're getting worried."

"Emma was the girl who talked to me last night?" Twilight asked. "She was asking some pretty weird questions, like she didn't know much about Equestria."

"She doesn't." Matt replied. "That's one of the reasons we're kind of worried they haven't sent her back."

"Sounds like an _emergency_, then. Is this an _emergency?"_ Twilight stood up and there was an eager expression on her face. She even quivered with excitement.

"Yes, it's an emergency!" Jacob told the figurine. "We want our daughter back!"

"_I_ can't help you, but I bet the real Twilight can!" Twilight's figurine bounced on its hooves. "Now I can test the _T__airseach U__rlabhra_ spell! Yay!"

"The _what_ spell?" Evelyn asked uneasily. "What does it do?"

"Um, well, it lets you talk to the real Twilight—at least I _think _it will. We never got to test it between worlds, you see, but it should breach the dimensional barrier just like the Bridge of Days. Well, except nobody can cross over, just thoughts, but the Laws of Similarity and Contagion establish the mystical link and we know the ethereal boundary can be breached more easily by thought, Discord's original trip proved that, so—"

"Whoa, hold up a minute." Matt broke into Twilight's accelerating technobabble. "Are you saying you can hold a conversation with the real Twilight in Equestria? Right now?"

"Of course. Well, assuming the spell works, but like I said, using Starswirl's Third Approximation there's a virtual 90% certainty it will work perfectly."

"What happens if it _doesn't?" _Evelyn asked warily. Her work with Subtle Dancer had given her some disturbing insights into exactly how unfortunate a miscast spell could be.

"Well, like I said there's a near certainty it will work just fine. But if it doesn't work because Twilight overlooked some factor, then nine times out of ten the spell just fizzles and nothing happens."

"What about the one time in ten?" Evelyn pressed the tiny unicorn.

"Um, well, that depends." Twilight looked away, not meeting Evelyn's eyes. "Generally, it's just a small magical backlash. Twilight might end up with a nasty headache."

"And if we're _really_ unlucky?" Evelyn insisted.

"Well—there's a one in ten thousand chance of ripping a hole in reality and letting something nasty into the world." Twilight admitted. "But that's extremely unlikely. The power needed for this spell is _tiny_, nothing like the power needed for the Bridge of Days. It doesn't need much power because I'm Twilight's simulacrum. That's about as exact a match, magically speaking, as you'll ever find. Even across the Veil the morphic resonances are perfectly synchronized, and the Law of Identity will allow Twilight to see what I see and hear what I hear."

"Would this spell endanger _her_, perhaps trap her spirit in you?" Evelyn asked shrewdly.

"No!" The figurine shook her head. "The inelasticity of the ethereal boundary would never permit that, it's why the Bridge of Days takes so much more power than _T__airseach U__rlabhra._

"So why didn't you tell Teelo about this?" Evelyn asked.

"Well, it _is _untested." The figurine admitted reluctantly. "It might not have worked. Twilight didn't want Teelo to get her hopes up. That would just be cruel. So it's for emergencies only. But you did say this was an emergency, right?"

"Yes, it is. So this Twilight can help us get Emma back?" Olivia asked hopefully. "Or at least tell us what's going on?"

"Absolutely!" The figurine said airily. "She's Princess Celestia's personal student, and has access to the Royal Canterlot library as well. It has the most extensive archive of magical lore in all of Equestria!"

"I say we do it." Jacob said, staring at John. "My daughter is who knows where, and didn't come back when she should have. What would you do if it was Teagan, John?"

"Exactly the same." John said, sighing. "Evelyn, you're the closest thing we have to a magical expert. What do you think?"

"An experimental spell that's never been tested?" Evelyn asked skeptically. "Isn't it a little soon to make a Hail Mary pass, you guys? I saw images of what Tišina turned into when they destroyed her body. Our toy unicorn here says it's a long shot for something nasty to show up, but let me tell you, that thing was _five hundred feet long,_ had more tentacles than a library of Japanese anime, and enough eyes to bankrupt an optometrist. _Any_ chance of unleashing something like that on Earth is too big a chance."

"Can't say I fault your logic." Matt said quietly. "That thing chased us for a thousand miles before Pinkie pulled her little magic trick and turned Tišina to stone. Let something like that loose in Kansas City—" He shook his head. "The casualties would be in the high six figures. That's assuming it could be stopped at all."

"_Guys!_Would you relax? We're not talking kilothaums here!" The figurine exclaimed in a tiny voice. "A few dozen microthaums at most! That's it! Bringing something like Tišina over would take several megathaums. There's no danger of something like that!"

"So what magical nasty are we talking about then?" Evelyn demanded. "There's a lot of little creatures in Equestria I have _no_ desire to see wandering Kansas City. Cockatrices, for instance."

"Don't worry! _Nothing_ material can pass through. It's the difference between hearing a voice and getting a letter. This spell just lets thoughts cross, not even light or sound." The tiny figurine hastened to assure the private detective. "Besides, even if the absolute worst thing _did_ happen it's only a tiny rip, and something would have to be able to reach it in the few seconds it stayed open _and _be a spirit instead of flesh and blood. Any danger is purely theoretical."

"And million-to-one odds happen nine times out of ten." Evelyn replied sourly. "I vote no."

"For _now_ I agree with Evelyn." Matt said. "Give Emma a little more time. If we haven't heard anything by tomorrow we can try the spell."

"No." Jacob said stubbornly. "She's my _daughter_. Do you have kids, Matt?"

The ex-soldier shook his head. "No, but I've seen enough families torn apart so I know exactly how you feel. I'm just saying give them a little more time. It won't do Emma any good if something happens to one of us—or the _city_."

"Nothing will happen to the city!" The figurine said in exasperation. "Trust me! I'm Princess Celestia's personal student! Well, a simulacrum of her, but the real Twilight was confident nothing bad would happen."

"Then do it, right now!" Jacob snapped.

The figurine closed her eyes and her horn lit up like a purple LED.

ooOoo

"Just when I think you can't sink any lower, Discord," Teagan growled, "you prove me wrong. That was _despicable, _you_—" _She caught Celestia's eye and chose a new word quickly, "—_brute_."

"Perhaps I _was_ a trifle harsh, Lady Teagan, but then again you _did_ meet my sister, right? Ask yourself if anyone who willingly allied themselves with her is worth your pity." Discord said stiffly.

Teagan opened her mouth to retort, but had to close it again. As much as she hated to admit it he had a point.

"All right, but you still doomed her to an eternal punishment. Even for you that seems excessive." Teagan said.

"Wait, so what exactly is the problem?" Emma asked, confused. "Because I'm not seeing it."

"If she sees him she gets one of those crippling migraines." Teagan retorted. "So if we turn her back we subject her and all the changelings to a day's _torture_. Right now the changelings are in the Everfree. They wouldn't survive."

"Oh, and these aren't _ordinary_ migraines." Discord said, caught up in the pride of his craftsmanship. "They're ten times worse."

"So? That's only a problem if she sees _him_, right?" Emma asked, perplexed.

"He can't change her back without touching her," Chrysalis explained, "and looking into her eyes."

"Yeah, so?" Emma asked impatiently.

"Which triggers the _migraine_, you goose! I wouldn't do that, even to _her_." Teagan said in exasperation. "Enough changelings have already died. We don't want to finish the job!"

"It only triggers the migraine if she _sees _him." Emma said, rolling her eyes. "Jeez, don't you _get _it?"

The others stared at her, having no idea what she was talking about.

"What triggers the migraine?" She asked Discord with exaggerated patience.

"Seeing me." He answered, intrigued by this human who seemed to have found a way around his ingenious trap. "But she can't avoid seeing me if I'm staring her straight in the eye."

"_Think_." Emma said, losing patience. "Seeing _you_. Come on, Discord, Teelo said you were clever. Do I have to spell it out?"

Celestia was watching the girl, a thoughtful look on her face. Discord was deep in thought, trying to figure out what intricate scheme the girl had in mind. Teagan and the Mayor clearly had no idea what she was talking about.

Suddenly Celestia's eyes widened. "Could it be that simple?" She asked, a smile blooming across her muzzle. She started to chuckle, much to Discord's annoyance.

"Then why don't you share, _Your Highness?"_ He asked snidely.

"I think I'll allow Emma the pleasure, Discord." She replied, nodding to the girl. "Brilliant, Emma. I commend you."

"Thank you, Your Highness." Emma said, pleased.

"Ok, so tell us." Teagan said impatiently.

"Have Discord shape change." Emma said. "If Chrysalis doesn't recognize him, it won't trigger the migraine."

Discord's mouth fell open. "That—would work. It's so beautifully ironic!" He laughed. "Even better, as a plan it's so absolutely _me_, why didn't I ever think of that?"

"Because you're an egotistical jackass?" Teagan asked sarcastically. "You wanted her to suffer, so you never even tried to come up with a solution, did you?"

"Does being reformed mean I have to put up with constant insults, Celestia?" Discord complained.

"Lady Teagan may not have chosen the softest words, Discord, but the essence of her point is true, is it not?"

"Yes, well of course it is but it's _rude _to come right out and say it!" The draconequus retorted.

"That only leaves her broken back." Teagan said, turning serious. "Crush did that and I don't know of any way to fix it, short of the Elements of Harmony."

"Oh, that's simple enough." Discord said airily. "I figured it out in my statuary prison. Since, you know, there wasn't anything else to _do_." He stared at Celestia. "You can only sleep so long you know. Eventually you have to wake up, even from _magical_ sleep."

Celestia frowned. "I had thought you would stay asleep."

"Well, I always did suffer from insomnia. So much to do, you know! Or at least there _was._" He huffed.

"At any rate, the reason I couldn't heal _myself_ was because Crush's magic was keeping mine from reaching outside myself. I won't have any trouble healing Chrysalis. Assuming you actually want me to do this, little Teagan." He smirked.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Teagan retorted. "Changing her back wouldn't be much use without healing her too!"

"I was _talking_ about changing her back, actually. You're clearly assuming the old Chrysalis was as nice as Celestia, and it was mean old Discord who turned her evil." Discord said, stifling a chuckle. "Newsflash, my dear, sweet, Teagan. She wasn't _nice_. If anything, I did you a favor all those years ago. When I transformed her she lost most of her magic. Changing her back means she gets her memories _and_ her magic back, all at once. Her grudge against _me_ pales in comparison to the grudge she bears Equestria. After all, _I _never killed any of her children."

He grinned at her.

Teagan's anger flared, making her waste precious moments controlling it. When she finally spoke her voice was level. "Discord, you may be on the road to reform, but taunting me about having to kill anyone is a huge step backward. I'm _trying _to make whatever amends I can for what I was forced to do. I suggest you do the same."

"You have absolutely no sense of humor." He sighed. "What is it with humans being so stiff necked all the time? You remind me of a certain captain…oh, well. What about it, Celestia? Want to do the _right _thing and risk a vastly more powerful Chrysalis taking her vengeance? Or do the sensible thing and forget it?"

He steepled his fingers and leaned forward. "I am simply agog to see which path you'll choose, my exquisite princess."

ooOoo

Twilight paused, quill hanging forgotten in mid-air as a wave of dizziness passed over her.

_Hey, me! Are you there? This is your simulacrum! I can feel you, can you hear me? I'm using the _Tairseach Urlabhra_ spell. There's an emergency on this side!_

_Yes, I'm here. _Twilight thought, channeling magic toward the presence she could feel hovering deep within her.

_It worked! **Yes!**_ _Ready for link-up?_

Twilight increased the flow of magic, knowing the little figurine couldn't maintain contact very long on its own, even in sunlight. She relaxed and pushed the magic toward the simulacrum.

_Okay, here I come, link up in three, two, one…_

Spike looked up as Twilight's horn lit up the room, its bright glow slowly spreading over the sitting alicorn. Her head sank slowly to land on her desk. The quill she'd been using fell silently beside her, blotting the notes she'd been working on.

"Twilight?" He asked uncertainly. "What are you doing?" He approached the slumped alicorn warily, knowing better than to touch her while she was casting. "Twi?" He didn't recognize the spell, and didn't understand why she was casting anything at all, she'd just been working on her palace staff scheduling.

"Come on Twilight, you're scaring me. Snap out of it!" He urged the oblivious alicorn. "This is bad, this is very, very bad, Twilight, come _on!_"

No response.

_"Horse apples!" _ He cursed and then glanced around guiltily to see if anyone had heard him. "I gotta get help!"

He ran to the door and opened it.

A unicorn guard turned to look at him.

"Steeplechase, quick! Get somebody! Twilight's casting a spell and there was no reason for it! She's all glow-y and stuff and she's slumped over on her desk."

"She _is_ an alicorn, Spike." The guard replied. "They do strange things all the time." However he came in to take a look at the princess.

"You mean like _that?" _Spike asked sarcastically.

"Hmm. Maybe we ought to alert one of the mages. Better safe than sorry. Princess Celestia's out of the castle right now and Princess Luna is asleep. Let me find someone."

He turned and galloped out of the room. Spike settled down and watched the softly glowing alicorn with worried eyes.

ooOoo

The woman knocked impatiently, hope fading that anyone was actually home. She'd been there for five minutes already. Sighing she pulled a letter out of her purse, along with one of her business cards, and opened the screen door enough to let her slip it inside. Closing the door trapped the letter so it would fall out when the door was opened. Having done all she could do she made a cursory inspection of the house and yard, taking a few notes along the way.

"Good repair, no evidence of neglect, quiet neighborhood, well, looks like Millicent's barking up the wrong tree this time." The woman said to herself. She sighed and got back in her car. "I'll talk to the parents and the girl, but right now it looks like a false alarm."

She drove off, leaving the neighborhood drowsing quietly in the afternoon sun.


	12. 12 Tour D'Horizon

**Chapter 12 – Tour D'Horizon**

_In which we discover communication is the life blood of harmonious relations._

* * *

Twilight opened her eyes and saw a strange giant staring at down at her. She yelped before remembering she was now seeing through the simulacrum's eyes. Looking around she relaxed as she recognized Lord and Lady O'Gara, Matt, and Elaine. There was another female human she didn't recognize as well.

"Hello, my name is Twilight Sparkle—the real one." She said with a smile. "My simulacrum said there was some kind of emergency?"

"Our daughter went with Teagan to Equestria and she hasn't come back." The man said. "The statue said you could help us find her. It's been over six hours now."

"What? Why did she do that?" Twilight asked, not really sure why it was a problem. "I didn't know she was bringing a friend with her. But she's certainly welcome, we wouldn't turn away a friend of Teagan's."

"Twilight, Emma ran after Teagan just before the Bridge closed." John explained. "She wasn't supposed to go."

"Oh. Well, Teagan's due to arrive in Canterlot today, she may already have, in fact. Now that I know you want Emma to come back I'll make sure Subtle Dancer sends her home." Twilight said brightly. "Problem solved!"

Jacob blinked at the tiny statue. "Just like that?" He asked incredulously.

"Well, that is what you wanted, right?" Twilight's smile slipped just a bit.

"Yeah, but this whole thing has been a bit crazy, you know? I mean I've been worried sick and now it's fixed? It seems too good to be true."

"I guess sometimes it really _is_ that easy." Twilight smiled, pleased that the man and his daughter would soon be reunited. "If there's nothing else, I need to get back to work. I never realized a princess's main job was primarily paperwork!"

"Wait, what?" Matt asked in surprise. "You're a princess now? Congratulations!"

"Thanks. It took me by surprise, one day I'm a unicorn and the next day _bam_ I'm an alicorn And now I'm ten times busier than I was. I'd love to stay and chat, but with the troll delegation here it throws my schedule completely off."

"Everything ok on that side?" Evelyn asked unexpectedly.

"Yes, why wouldn't it be?" Twilight asked, wrinkling her brow in puzzlement. "I mean there was a big boom this morning and Discord landed in the garden unexpectedly, but Princess Celestia took him back to Ponyville so—"

"_What?_" Teagan's mother shrieked, loudly enough to make Twilight wince. "That _monster_ is loose? The one who tried to hurt my baby? Did Celestia kick his ass—this time for _good?_"

"Um, no, it was nothing like that." Twilight said quickly. Then her eyes widened. "Oh, no! Didn't Sun Hammer tell you?"

"Tell us what?" Matt asked calmly.

"Well, Celestia had us release Discord and then Fluttershy reformed him." Twilight said. "I have to admit I doubted my mentor when she asked us to let him go, but it worked out in the end. But if Teelo didn't know…"

"A boom you said?" Matt asked thoughtfully. "Canterlot's about a half-hour by chariot from Ponyville, right? That's what, maybe twenty-five miles or so?"

Twilight nodded. "I didn't hear what they talked about but Spike said he heard from May Belle Discord plowed into the table where Celestia was sitting and smashed it to scrap metal. I wonder if Teelo really hit him _that _hard?"

"If he showed up without warning it's entirely possible she'd smash first and not bother to ask questions later." Matt said, stroking his chin. "Apparently, she's learned more tricks than I realized."

"I'll ask her when I see her." Twilight promised. "Now I really do need to get going. It was good to talk to you all again."

"If we need to reach you again will we be able to?" Olivia asked. "I'm sorry to be such a worry wart but this whole thing has me frazzled."

"Of course, just make sure the figurine is in sunlight, and it should be able to reach me. Thank goodness I don't have to hold court yet, so I should be free to talk whenever you call, although it might not be as long as we'd like. A princess's paperwork is never done!" She chuckled. "I'm glad I was able to help. Bye now!"

With that the figurine's horn dimmed and it staggered to the side.

"I told you it would work." The figurine said tiredly. "Now if you'll excuse me, even with the sunlight I'm completely exhausted. Good-bye for now."

The figurine turned solid, leaving behind six very relieved humans.

ooOoo

"It's never easy, is it?" Teagan sighed and slumped on her stool. "Just out of curiosity, is there any _other _monster I'm likely to run into before reaching Hejm—or _Canterlot?_ You know, one with plans to destroy Equestria?"

Discord chuckled. "Feeling the pressure, oh queen of the trolls?"

Teagan gave him the fish eye.

"Rest assured, Lady Teelo, there aren't." Celestia said with a half smile. "Although I will admit you had good reason to be annoyed. You've certainly had a _busy_ day."

"Yeah, it's been _very_ interesting." Teagan said sourly. "As in the ancient Chinese curse. Ok, so what are we going to do about Chrysalis? Assuming Discord is telling the truth, healing her and turning her back sounds like a very bad idea."

"I _never_ lie!" Discord said, holding his eagle paw to his chest and assuming a noble stance. "Of course, should someone arrive at an erroneous conclusion I don't always feel the need to correct them..."

"I suppose I should speak with her." Celestia said with a frown.

"Oh, that reminds me." Teagan said. "I promised her I'd intercede on her behalf with you. She did keep her end of the bargain as we escaped the Everfree—even if it was under duress."

"Duly noted." Celestia said drily. "Kona Søyle, Emma, it was a pleasure meeting you both. Mayor, now that Discord has repaired the damage I hope your town returns to its normal, peaceful self."

"I hope so too, Your Highness." The Mayor bowed low. Søyle nodded her head and Emma attempted a curtsey, somewhat unsuccessfully.

"Lady Teelo, I will see you in Canterlot for dinner, I hope?" The alicorn asked with arched eyebrow.

"I'd like that very much, Your Highness." Teagan smiled. "With the chariots destroyed it looks like we'll have to take the train. I'm told Stormwind has already made arrangements."

"Then I will see you at dinner. Emma, Kona Søyle, you're invited as well."

And with that she politely dipped her horn and left, collecting her guards along the way, Discord strutting jauntily after her.

ooOoo

Twilight severed the magical connection feeling very pleased that everything was proceeding to plan. So when she opened her eyes and found herself surrounded by a herd of elder unicorns looking gravely concerned she reverted to old habits and panicked.

"What's the emergency? Is some pony in trouble? Where's Princess Celestia? Is _she _in trouble? Is that the emergency? _Answer me!"_ The words tripped off her tongue almost too fast to be understood.

The unicorn closest to her, an ancient chartreuse stallion with fuchsia mane and tail, with an unexpectedly long and luxuriant white beard that fell almost to the ground, cleared his throat.

"In order, Your Highness: the unexplained magical working surrounding you, no, in Ponyville, almost certainly not, and... no." He paused. "I believe that answers each of your questions."

Twilight's brain rebooted from the unexpected load and she slowly worked through the list of answers the old unicorn had given her.

"Oh, good." She smiled sheepishly. "May I ask what you and the others are doing here then, Professor Nimbus?"

"Your guard indicated you were in the midst of an unexplained magical working, Your Highness. Given the fact you ascended only a few months ago I felt it would be prudent to gather my colleagues in case something was amiss. I am relieved to discover that was not the case." He bowed.

"Ah." She said, blushing. "I see. I received an unexpected contact from my simulacrum. As it doesn't have a large magical reserve I didn't have time to tell anyone I was going to cast a spell. Sorry for the fuss, Professor."

"Your simulacrum, Highness?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. "Would it be accurate then to say your spell projected your awareness into the simulacrum?"

Twilight nodded. "Yes. It's very similar to the way Princess Luna walks in the dreams of sleeping ponies. The major difference being this spell works only with my simulacrum."

"And where is your simulacrum now, Highness?" He asked with a professional's interest in a newly crafted spell.

"In Lady Teagan's world." Twilight answered automatically. She wasn't prepared for the gasps of shock and horror the words provoked.

"_You pierced the Veil?" _Professor Nimbus nearly shouted. "You projected your awareness into another world_? _Do you have any idea how incredibly _dangerous_ that was? You must never do it again!"

"Why?" Twilight asked, annoyed. "Now we can communicate between our world and Lady Teagan's! That's an amazing breakthrough, Professor!"

"The Veil is not easily pierced, Your Highness." He said grimly. "Which is one reason ponykind has not perished from the face of the world. There are _creatures_ that dwell beyond the Veil. Many mages have touched the Veil, studied its mystery. A foolish few, with more power than wisdom, pierced the Veil. Most paid the price of their folly with their sanity, or their lives! Just five years ago Ivory Abacus was forced to mend a rent in the Veil! To this day she cannot face a bowl of vanilla custard, or a jar of gooseberry jam! They send her into paroxysms of terror!"

About to retort angrily, Twilight paused. "Really? I mean _yes,_ gooseberry jam would make any pony shudder—not even Pinkie can deal with it—but vanilla custard? What's so bad about that?"

The old unicorn shuddered and many of his colleagues turned pale.

"It is not fit for Royal ears, Highness." He said at last. "Suffice it to say tentaclular appendages were also involved and leave it at that."

Twilight shivered, remembering Tišina. "Yes, well personally I've had enough tentacles to last me a lifetime, thank you very much. Ugh"

The assembled ponies stared at her, appalled. Several were _blushing_.

"What?" She asked, completely confused. "You don't remember Cuddles? It chased us from Tišina's Glacier all the way back to Cloudsdale. Not something _I'll_ be forgetting in a hurry!"

There were several sighs of relief from the crowd and Nimbus plastered a huge smile on his muzzle, nodding vigorously.

"Of course, Your Highness, that's _exactly_ what we meant! You can imagine the disaster if your spell went awry and rent the Veil here in Canterlot, surely."

"But this spell uses energies in the microthaum range." Twilight objected. "There's no way it could do that. It's at least seven orders of magnitude too weak to be dangerous. Besides, it's a resonance effect, so the Veil isn't really being pierced at all. It's more like the spell is using it for a sounding board. Only a tiny amount of energy is involved."

The old mage shook his head. "Our readings tell a different story, Princess. You were radiating kilothaums of power just now, not microthaums. That means your spell would only need to be two orders of magnitude stronger to rend the Veil. Should there be a magic flare, for example, it would be a very real possibility."

"That's impossible." Twilight said uncertainly. "The spell is entirely mental, my _simulacrum_ has enough power to contact me—and it _might_ have 900 millithaums in its reserve. Even in full sunlight we're talking _maybe_ 1500 millithaums. That's _nothing_."

"As an alicorn, Highness, your own magical reserve is measured in _gigithaums_." The old unicorn said patiently. "You are still only eleventh circle and thus your control is not very precise. I myself am in the forty-eighth circle, second only to the Sisters themselves in skill. So you can believe me when I say you are invoking forces you do not yet have the skill to perceive clearly or control with certainty. As a Princess it is your duty to keep Equestria safe—even from yourself."

Twilight slumped. "You're right. But this spell is too important to just set aside, Professor."

"And so we shall not. But prudence is the mark of a great mage, Your Highness. Once you have advanced to the eighteenth circle you will be able to see the Veil and all its subtleties. However that will not be for some years, perhaps a decade. In the mean time if you submit a copy of the spell to the Royal Academy of Magic we can study it and find out why there's an impedance mismatch between the actual power requirements and the amount of power you were pumping into it. The excess power must be going _somewhere_, and given the levels we recorded the fact we don't know where is worrying."

Twilight shook her head. "There's no _time_, Professor. My simulacrum will be contacting me again soon. Given the political situation we don't have years. We have a _day_."

"Absolutely out of the question!" The old unicorn said, completely aghast. "I forbid it!"

The room held its collective breath. Nimbus saw the shocked look on Twilight's face and rapidly tried to salvage the situation.

"What I _meant_ to say, Your Highness," he bowed apologetically. "Is that it would be far too dangerous to the city, to its citizens, and to yourself. Not to mention Princesses Celestia and Luna as well. Should something happen Equestria itself could be in jeopardy. Surely you would not place the entire world at risk over mere politics?"

"Are you familiar with trolls, Professor?" Twilight asked, trying to soothe the tension that now filled the room. Her own frustration was making it difficult.

"Bipedal creatures that live to the north of us." The professor responded, cocking his head. "Somewhat intellectually challenged, and therefore easily provoked. They live in caves, I believe."

"Exactly, Professor Nimbus. _Easily provoked_. They are also capable of using their claws to rapidly dig through _solid rock_. They are eight feet tall and weight nearly a thousand pounds apiece. Did you also know we have been at the edge of war with them for ten years now?"

"Have we? Well, surely the Royal Guard can deal with a few renegade brutes, and if they cannot the Horns certainly can." The unicorn sniffed disdainfully. "What does this have to do with casting such a dangerous spell, Your Highness?"

Twilight face-hoofed, much to the shock of the gathered mages. Professor Nimbus stiffened in outrage at the implied insult. He hadn't been accused of stupidity since his foalhood.

"Do you know who Lady Teagan _is_, Professor?" Twilight asked with clearly forced patience.

"Of course, Princess Sparkle." His voice was cool. "She saved Princess Celestia from Discord and led the effort that defeated Tišina. This spell is because of her?"

"You could say that." Twilight's tone was dry. "Lady Teagan has another title in Equestria, Professor. She is known as _Dronning av Fjellet_."

"I am unfamiliar with the term, Highness." Nimbus said after a moment.

Twilight was trying to be fair. She knew the professor was the foremost mage in all of Equestria, second in skill only to Celestia and Luna themselves. She knew he headed the most revered institution of magic to be found anywhere in the world. She'd always looked up to him, and dreamed of one day becoming a member of the Royal Academy of Magic. He had been one of her idols growing up.

But now that she was actually _talking_ to the pony she found him to be a smug ivory-tower academic with a skewed world view and the same superiority-complex as the nobility.

It was simply _infuriating_.

"I'm not surprised. It means _Queen of the Mountain._" Twilight said in a tightly controlled tone. "In other words, Lady Teagan is the queen of the World Below, the queen of all _trolls, _Professor."

He blinked. "All right. I still don't see what that has to do with you piercing the Veil, Your Highness."

_Celestia, give me strength_, Twilight moaned to herself.

"Lady Teagan spends most of her time in her own world, Professor. In fact this is only the third time she's ever come to Equestria. While she is there she has no way to contact us. _None_. The only way she can come back is if someone on this side opens the Bridge of Days for her. You fail to see any problems with this?"

"I fear so, Highness. Please enlighten me." While his words were respectful, his tone was not. Twilight felt her blood pressure creeping higher. Several of the Professor's colleagues were beginning to throw worried glances in his direction.

"While Lady Teagan is in her own world and dependent on us to return, the trolls consider her under our protection. Should something happen to her in her world they will act as if _we _did something to her. And they will go to war against us." Twilight said coldly. "This would be a _bad thing_, Professor. Ponies would die—a _lot_ of ponies. And while they know enough not to harm Princess Celestia or Princess Luna, the rest of us would not be so fortunate if we lost the war."

"Are you actually saying we could lose to a bunch of _troglodytes?"_ The Professor scoffed. "I think you overestimate their abilities, Your Highness."

Twilight's temper finally snapped.

"And _I _think you are offering opinions outside your area of expertise, Professor Nimbus." She said coldly. "Let me make this simple for you. As a Princess of Equestria I am _ordering _you to help me study this spell. Given Lady Teagan's importance to Pony-Troll relations, it is imperative we have another way to communicate with her world without physically sending a pony across the Bridge of Days."

"Your Highness!" The old unicorn protested. "As much as I would enjoy dedicated spell research I have too many other responsibilities to dedicate the time and energy needed to such a project!"

"Not anymore." Twilight cut him off. "Professor Nimbus, you are hereby transferred to Project Tairseach, effective immediately_._ I expect a preliminary background research plan in my hooves by sundown. You are hereby relieved of all other duties and responsibilities and I expect you to delegate your responsibilities for the duration of the project."

The Professor stood with slack jaw and wide eyes.

"My simulacrum could contact me again, perhaps as soon as _tomorrow_, Professor. We don't have a lot of time. Now if you will excuse me I have other matters to attend to."

"Your _Highness!" _The old stallion protested. "I must protest! Do you have any idea how much chaos your request is going to cause the Royal Academy of Magic?"

"Yes." Twilight said with a level gaze. "Exactly the same level of chaos as would result from your death, Professor. Or the chaos the Academy would suffer from being placed on a war hoofing."

"The question is, do _you _understand that your Princess has just given you an order, Professor?" Twilight's eyes were narrowed and if she'd been standing she'd have pawed the ground.

"But Your Highness! Surely you understand I cannot simply abdicate my responsibilities!" He spoke as one would to an unreasonable filly but his annoyance seeped through anyway. "Clearly, you have not yet gained a clear picture of the complexities of Equestrian governance—"

Twilight hadn't been a princess for very long. She did not have Celestia's patience, honed from centuries of dealing with politically powerful ponies, and she hadn't yet learned how to hide her anger behind a pleasant façade.

Twilight surged to her hooves and spread her wings in an instinctive show of aggression, a snarl replacing her normally pleasant expression. The crowd shuffled backward, suddenly reminded that Twilight Sparkle was, in fact, no longer a unicorn but an alicorn, and a _Princess_ as well.

The stallion found himself suddenly facing an enraged alicorn. Terrified, he did the only thing he could think of. He dropped into a full bow.

"Forgive me, Princess! I did not mean to impugn your judgment! I'm simply saying I believe you lack all the necessary information at hoof to make such a sweeping decision." He babbled, flinching.

Twilight glared down at him. "And _I_ believe, Professor, you spoke without taking time to logically reason out the situation, so let me _explain_ it to you."

"One, there _will _be another contact through the Veil—_soon_. Two, you have convinced me there might be some danger involved in that contact. Three, you pointed out yourself that you are the best qualified unicorn to find out why I'm radiating so much power on a spell that shouldn't need it. Four, they can't contact us without this spell—and given Lady Teelo's importance to the stability of our relations with the World Below, that is a disaster waiting to happen."

"_Therefore_, Professor, we need answers and we need them _now_. You and I are the best qualified ponies to get those answers so any temporary problems caused by your reassignment pale in comparison."

"QED. Sundown, Professor. _Dismissed_."

"Yes, Your Highness." The old stallion rose and fled, taking his colleagues with him, who seemed very glad to go.

"_Honestly_." Twilight snarled under her breath. Steeplechase's face bore no expression as he bowed to the princess and trotted back to his post.

"Twilight, I'm sorry." Spike said. "I was the one who told Steeplechase to get help. I should have trusted you, but you just started glowing suddenly without any explanation, and you wouldn't respond when I talked to you. It—it scared me."

Twilight took a deep breath and shook her head vigorously, settling her mane.

"I'm not mad at you Spike. I'd probably have done the same thing in your place. Don't worry about it."

"Thanks, Twilight." He said in relief. Perking up he said "Did you see the way that unicorn backed down when you got mad? That was awesome!"

"No, Spike, it wasn't." Twilight said, sighing. "That wasn't awesome, that was being a bully. Remember the whole _Butterscotch Pie_ incident?"

"You mean when that pie seller wanted twenty bits for her pies?" Spike asked, grinning. "Rarity couldn't stop talking about it. She said Teelo put her in her place."

"_Teelo_ didn't think so, Spike." Twilight said seriously. "She said she was scaring the pie seller into doing what she wanted, instead of reasoning with her. She lost her temper, just like I did. I'm going to have to apologize to Professor Nimbus tonight when I see him."

"Yeah, but he started it with that crack about you not knowing enough to be a princess." Spike objected.

"He kind of had a point." Twilight admitted reluctantly. "I don't know everything like Celestia does. I doubt I ever will."

"Yeah, but he was challenging your authority." Spike pointed out. "He'd have never dared do that to Princess Celestia or Princess Luna. You're a princess too!"

"True." Twilight said with a grin. "Can you imagine Luna's face if he did that?" Her face fell. "But he didn't hesitate to do it to _me_, did he? And he's not the only one either. The nobles are polite to my face, but I've heard them talk when they didn't think I was around. _She's not a _real _princess_." Twilight said in a snooty tone. "_Just because she grew a pair of wings!__ The nerve of some ponies!"_

"You shouldn't listen to _them_." Spike said dismissively. "You've saved Equestria more times than I can remember, Twilight! They just wander around all day and look important."

Twilight chuckled reluctantly.

"The nobles have important jobs, Spike. They help make the laws and run the country. Not even Celestia could do it all by herself. There's just too much."

"Yah, yah." Spike waved a dismissive paw. "Buncha stuck up snobs, if you ask me."

"Who says they can't be both?" Twilight said, smiling. "But I've still got to finish these schedules. Where did you put Sugar Song's maternity time request?"

"In the _M_ pile?" Spike asked sarcastically.

"Oh, right. Hmm, who do we have that can fill in while she's gone?" Twilight mumbled to herself, settling back into the careful planning that was her forte.

ooOoo

Unbeknownst to Twilight, far to the north cold eyes were narrowed in an entirely different (and far less benign) effort. Although these eyes, too, were those of a planner…


	13. 13 Detente

**Chapter 13 – Detente**

_In which our heroine catches her breath, Royalty attempts reconciliation, and Murphy intervenes._

* * *

Teagan closed her eyes and let out a sigh of contented bliss as she sank into the oversized train seat. The seat was intended for ponies and so lower and wider than a human could comfortably sit in, but Teagan snuggled back, letting her legs sprawl where they would.

"Heaven." She murmured. "For the next two hours all I have to do is relax and let somebody _else_ be in charge."

Emma giggled, imitating her friend's posture—or lack of it. Given the seat was meant for two ponies the human girls had plenty of room.

"Such accommodations are not suited to trolls." Søyle grunted as she tried to find a comfortable position. Being taller, broader, and longer legged than the two teenagers a similar posture was simply out of the question. She compromised by sitting cross-legged. The seat was barely roomy enough for her bulk.

Skrent and Flint didn't even try to sit down, standing with bowed heads to fit their eight-foot height into the seven foot interior. Teagan didn't envy them standing that way for two hours.

"Guys, maybe you can sit in the aisle? I'm sure the conductor could bring you pillows." She said. "Two hours like that and you're going to have such a crick in your necks it won't be funny."

Skrent said something to Flint in Trollish that made Søyle huff in amusement. Flint wordlessly lowered himself into the aisle, carefully wedging himself between the seats. Grunting in annoyance he shifted, unslinging his long slender club and handing it to his brother. Skrent unslung his own club and placed the two flat, sliding them under three seats to be out of the way. Then he carefully stepped over his brother and turned to face him before basically collapsing on the floor with a thud.

Sun Hammer grinned at the two trolls from where he lay sideways, taking up an entire seat.

"Och, laddies, nou ye ken how A feel." The pony chuckled. "Tis nae always handy bein' big boned, so it be."

The six of them were alone in the car, the conductor having declared it having reached its weight limit.

"Dronning, before we meet the rest of the _ætt_ I must relate the proper forms of greeting." Søyle said. "Emma, it would be well for you to learn as well."

"The what?" Teagan asked.

"The _ætt_." Søyle repeated. "It means _clan of purpose, _instead of _clan of blood_. You see?"

"Not really." Teagan shook her head. "I thought a clan was a family, like for humans and ponies."

"_Ja_. That would be _klanen av blodet_." Søyle nodded. "Clan of the blood, trolls who are related by having the same ancestors. _Klanen av formålet, _clan of purpose, trolls who agree to be clan-bound for a purpose. They are family, but not by blood, but still just as much family as the parents who gave you life. Much as ponies are to you."

"Ponies are _klanen av blodet_, Søyle." Teagan corrected her. "Emma is _klanen av formålet._"

"That is not possible, Dronning." Søyle said, clearly confused. "To be _klanen av blodet _ponies and humans would have to be related by having ancestors in common."

"We do." Teagan said smiling. Emma and Søyle looked at her with equally shocked expressions.

"I had heard that ponies were—flexible—in such matters, but to actually bear _children?_ How is this possible, Dronning?" Søyle asked delicately.

"That isn't what I mean." Teagan waved her hand to dismiss the idea. "Long ago, ponies came to Equestria via the Bridge of Days, just like Emma and I did today."

Teagan paused, blinking.

"God, has it only been one _day?_ It feels like a week! Anyway, the first time there was no one on this side to open the Bridge for them. So a _capall, _a magical horse,made a deal with other powerful magical creatures in my world to open the Bridge. The _capall's_ name was Epona. She and her kind lived with my clan a thousand years ago. But my clan was attacked by another group of humans called Melesians, and faced utter destruction. So a deal was struck and a terrible price was paid. You see the Bridge could not carry my ancestors and the _capall_. But it _could_ carry ponies. There was a race of small ponies on an island that lived lives filled with harsh cruelty, and it was those ponies that crossed over."

"But the bargain was that when a _capall_ and their human rider fell in battle, part of their spirits would merge with the pony, crossing over with it. So each pony in Equestria is actually a melding of pony, human, and _capall_. Ponies are quite literally one third human. I'm related to them because one third of every pony in Equestria is Clan O'Gara. _My_ clan."

Teagan's statement left Emma and the trolls speechless. Even Flint looked pole-axed.

"_Klanen av sjelen._" Søyle breathed in disbelief. "Clan of the soul. _Min Dronning_, I have never heard of such a thing!"

"Aye, lass. Tis true. A heard the tale o' Clan O'Gara and the Bridge of Days from me own Nana when A was not but a wee foal." Sun Hammer said. "Tis why the Princess an' Teelo be as close as they be."

"Is that why Princess Celestia kept calling you cousin?" Emma asked. "I thought that was just some kind of queen to queen thing."

"Actually, European royalty used to call each other cousin because they _were_ cousins." Teagan said, chuckling. "Europe's kind of small, and they didn't have a lot of royal families, so they kept marrying each other. Made a bit of a mess, really."

"So Princess Celestia really _is_ your cousin?" Emma asked incredulously.

"Well, actually she and Luna are my great-great-great, um yeah. You get the idea. Like fifteen generations away but they reallyare my cousins. Twilight tells me Celestia and Luna were carried across the Bridge in their mother's womb. They were the first ponies actually born in Equestria, and legend says Epona and Daghda the clan leader, were the spirits that merged with Celestia and Luna."

"Does Fjell know of this?" Søyle asked after digesting the astounding news.

"I really don't know." Teagan answered. "It's not a secret, but Twilight says not a lot of ponies know the story anymore so I don't imagine the trolls do either. I know I never mentioned it to him. We had a lot of other stuff to hash out so there wasn't much time for storytelling. Why?"

Søyle looked at her with almost comical shock. "This changes _everything, min Dronning!_"

"Why?" Teagan asked again, patiently. "I'm still the same girl, Søyle. Ponies and trolls are both part of my clan. That all happened over a year ago. Nothing has changed since then."

Søyle shook her head in frustration.

"_Nei, min Dronning!"_ She said urgently. _"Vi visste ikke! Hvis vi hadde kjent…"_

"_Hest språk, Kona Søyle._" Skrent rumbled.

"My apologies, Dronning." Søyle shifted to English (Equestrian?). "Had we known about this we would not have insulted the ponies at every turn. I myself am ashamed for my actions." Søyle slumped, watching Teagan with sagging features, the trollish equivalent of tears, although her queen was currently ignorant of that fact.

"What actions, Søyle? As far as I know you haven't done anything wrong." Teagan said, bewildered. "What did you do?"

"When Fjell praised you at every turn I was jealous, _min Dronning_." Søyle met Teagan's eyes. "Away from him I would complain of the attention he paid you—for I believed you unworthy of such praise, unworthy to bear Mountain Heart. In my heart of hearts I truly believed that the ponies had managed to enchant Mountain Heart such that it betrayed us and served you—and that you served _them_. I was wrong to do this, I fear I am forsworn."

Flint growled and Søyle flinched.

Teagan panicked. Being forsworn was one of the worst crimes a troll could commit. It meant banishment, or worse. For the _king's wife_ to be thought forsworn…

"Flint, _stop!"_ Teagan said forcefully. "Søyle, unless you _did_ something you can't be foresworn. You know that! Did you actually _do_ anything?"

"She doubted you, Dronning," Skrent growled, "After swearing to serve you. That is _bad_."

"It seems to _me_," Emma broke in, "that she got jealous and complained about her husband lavishing praise on another woman. That's not bad, that's _normal_." She looked at the troll sitting in the aisle. "It looks like troll men are just as clueless as human ones when it comes to women." She sniffed, making Skrent wrinkle his brow in puzzlement.

"When did you get so wise?" Teagan said, a chuckle forcing itself out of her at the look on Skrent's face. "Skrent, relax. Søyle, Emma's right. You didn't know me, you had no idea what a human even was. Do you still think I'm not fit to be queen?"

"_Aldri, min Dronning!"_Søyle exclaimed fiercely. "I have seen the _strålende__raseri _engulf you! I have seen your _motet_, I bear witness that you are the _Dronning av Fjellet!"_

And then she did something that shocked Sun Hammer and the two girls.

"_Jeg påstår blø hvis du spør._" She drew one of her claws lightly across her chest. Her thick skin split and blood welled up from a three inch long gash. Skrent and Flint relaxed, and nodded in satisfaction.

"_No!" _Teagan yelled and dove for her backpack, frantically digging until she found the first aid kit. She tore it open, and grabbed the tape and gauze. She tore a strip of gauze long enough to cover Søyle's self-inflicted wound and pressed it against the surprised troll's chest.

"Emma! Hold this!" Teagan snapped. The other girl scrambled to obey, face pale but determined. Teagan ripped a piece of tape with her teeth and applied it to the gauze to hold it in place. Three more strips followed.

"Ok, you can let go now." Teagan said, eyeing the gauze, which had bled through but seemed to be holding. Wordlessly she repacked her first-aid kit and replaced it in her pack. Then she turned back to the troll, who was eyeing the gauze on her chest curiously.

"Are you _insane?_ Don't you _ever _injure yourself like that again! _Do you understand me?"_ Teagan's voice was shaking with anger, which confused all three trolls, who were staring at her wide eyed.

"What is wrong, Dronning?" Skrent asked. "Søyle gave you her blood oath as an apology. Why are you angry with her?"

"What?" Teagan stared at her bodyguard. "What are you talking about? _She_ _cut herself!"_

"Yes. How else could she draw blood?" The troll asked, tilting his head like the world's ugliest puppy. "You need blood for a blood oath, Dronning."

Teagan felt her world slip, the same way it had when she'd seen the army of rabbits at Fluttershy's house, or when Fjell had announced he was going to marry her. She could almost hear the cosmic needle scratching across the universe.

"Ok, wait. Cutting is _bad_, Skrent. Blood should stay _inside_. Emma, back me up here."

"Yeah, what she said." Emma said, nodding vigorously. "I get that Søyle's really sorry, but cutting yourself is going _way _too far."

"You do not accept my oath, Dronning?" Søyle asked sadly.

"Is this some weird troll custom I've never heard of?" Teagan demanded, hoping somebody would start making sense soon.

"Blood oath is ancient magic, Dronning. Søyle is swearing her life to your service. Is the way to prove her loyalty to the _ætt_. Also, apologize for her _overtredelse_."

"Her what?" Teagan asked, completely lost by now.

"My offense, Dronning." Søyle said. "You have never heard of blood oaths? Humans do not have them?"

"Well, yeah we do, but I don't think they actually _work,_" Teagan said. "I mean we don't have magic. Nobody actually swears using blood anymore, with all the diseases going around it would be too dangerous, it might even kill you!"

Søyle blinked in confusion. "How can drawing your own blood kill you? You never claw deeply, or near a major vein."

"Well, the way humans do it is they each make a small cut on their hand, then when they shake hands the blood mixes." Teagan said. "At least I think that's how it was done. Like I said, nobody does it anymore, it's too dangerous. You never know if the other person has some blood borne disease or something."

"Humans are very strange." Søyle said, shaking her head.

**_Humans_**_ are strange? _Teagan thought incredulously. _Søyle, trolls have no room to talk about strange!_

But she didn't say it aloud.

ooOoo

Celestia paused in front of the door to Chrysalis's room, debating how she wanted this confrontation to go. She'd already had Discord remain in the lobby, and now she bade her escort to wait outside the door.

Drawing a calming breath she knocked on the door with her hoof.

There was no answer, so Celestia knocked again.

"Enter." The familiar voice made her tense imperceptibly. She readied a combat spell, just in case, then opened the door and stepped inside.

Chrysalis was lying on her belly, facing the door. The covers were supported over her hindquarters with a framework so they didn't touch her back.

"Well, well. Come to gloat, Celestia? I have to admit your pawn laid me low. So go ahead. Enjoy your victory, _Princess_." The changeling queen sneered.

"I haven't come to gloat, Chrysalis." Celestia replied. "I have come to see if you represent any further danger to Equestria."

"And what if I do, you pretentious horse?" Chrysalis mocked her. "Will I end up in your statuary garden like Tišina?"

"You know about Tišina?" Celestia asked mildly.

"Of _course_ I know. My children go everywhere. They hear things. Besides, that ape told me about it—between her threats to kill me."

"Lady Teagan threatened to kill you?" Celestia asked, eyes narrowing. "That really is not like her."

"Oh, trust me, it is." The queen said darkly. "She is a monster truly worthy of serving you. Where do you find such murderous yet loyal souls, Celestia? I would have thought Tartarus would have called them home long before now."

"I see our time apart has done nothing to dull your tongue." Celestia replied.

"Perhaps seeing your children murdered before your eyes has something to do with that." The queen hissed. Celestia flinched. "Ah, so your black heart has a rotten soft spot after all!"

She spat on the floor, which Celestia carefully ignored.

"Subtle Dancer murdered hundreds of my children! Shining Armor did as well! And yet _they_ are out there, free, and _I_ am in here. Is this your vaunted justice, Celestia? Forgive me if I don't rise to applaud!"

"You invaded Equestria, Chrysalis. You were the one who drained Shining Armor and made his spell fail. Your children's lives are on your own head, not mine." Celestia replied, outwardly calm but inwardly sad.

"I was attempting to _save_ my children, Celestia. They starvewhile you and your furry pony folk grow fat! Where is the justice in that?"

"Were you also attempting to save your children when you attacked Subtle Dancer and Lady Teagan today?" Celestia asked with a hint of anger.

The changeling queen smiled.

"No, Celestia. That was _vengeance_."

"Against me?" Celestia asked coldly.

"Against you, and everything you love." Chrysalis bared her long fangs. "It was a first strike—to rob you of one of your allies, _Princess_. With Subtle Dancer out of the picture it would be that much harder for you to defend against my next strike, and the one after that, and the one after _that_. Until Equestria lost all her major defenders and my children could finally eat in peace."

"I see." Celestia studied the changeling queen, who made no effort to hide her disdain for the alicorn. "Tell me, if you could feed without harming other creatures would you? Would you give up your vengeance?"

"You propose peaceful coexistence?" Chrysalis snickered. "Please. The only insult I will _not_ give you is believing you are stupid. We both know your ponies would never let my children feed unless they were tricked into it. Even if Subtle Dancer and Shining Armor hadn't murdered my children, we cannot coexist. Ponies would not allow it, nor would you."

"Answer my question. _If_ you could feed without harming others, would you give up your vengeance? It is not a hypothetical question."

Chrysalis stared hard at Celestia, thinking furiously.

"What game are you playing, horse?" Chrysalis finally snarled.

"No game. It is within my power to grant you and your children safety and prosperity. The question is which do you want more? To see your children safe, happy, and prosperous? Or to punish me by destroying Equestria?"

"Your ponies may believe you are all sweetness and light, Celestia." Chrysalis said after a long internal debate. "But we both know that's not true. You would tell any lie, do any deed to protect your _precious_ ponies."

"Yes, I would." The alicorn said serenely. "I would even forgive my enemy and strive to give her back that which she lost."

"You can give me back my children?" Chrysalis laughed bitterly.

"That is beyond my power, alas. But I canheal your broken spine _and_ give you back what was taken from you all those thousands of years ago."

Chrysalis stared at the alicorn, trying to make sense of what she'd just said.

"What are you talking about?"

"You have not always been a changeling, have you?" Celestia said quietly. "I know what happened to you. I know what you lost, and I know how to give it back to you."

"_Liar!_ How could you _possibly_ know that?" Chrysalis shouted. "You're just an _upstart_, Celestia! I've been queen of the changelings for nearly six thousand years! I remember the coming of ponies to Equestria! If you think to taunt me with empty promises you can just go _away_."

Green light flashed up and down her misshapen horn in a clear warning.

Celestia took one step backward and her horn lit up with golden light. In a voice that echoed from places that do not, in the strictest sense, actually exist, she spoke.

"I swear upon my magic and my rule, that I, Celestia, Princess of the land of Equestria, know what happened to Chrysalis the changeling queen, and I know how to undo it. Should she take a magical oath to forgo her vengeance then I pledge to see that long-ago injustice ended, and affirm I have the means to undo that which was wrought that day. So mote it be."

Both rulers felt the implosion of magic that signaled the spell had taken hold.

"My oath is powerless without your own." Celestia said with a tiny smile. "Will you take your vengeance or reclaim your birthright, Your Majesty? You cannot do both."

"Fine." Chrysalis grumbled. Her horn lit up with a blaze of green.

"I, Chrysalis, Queen of the Changelings, upon my magic and my rule, do hereby vow to give up my vengeance against Celestia in return for her keeping her own vow. Happy?"

"Ah, ah, ah!" Celestia waggled her hoof. "Aren't you forgetting somepony?"

Chrysalis growled. "_And _I pledge to cause no harm to Subtle Dancer or Shining Armor upon the completion of our vows." She raised an eyebrow at Celestia, who nodded, smiling.

"So mote it be."

The spell promptly imploded. Light exploded from the two rulers, swirling in bands of gold and green, the colors sinking into each.

"That _itches_." Chrysalis complained.

"A small price to pay to end six thousand years of injustice." Celestia said complacently.

"No, I mean it _really_ itches." Chrysalis said urgently. She started scratching frantically. Celestia watched for a moment, taken aback.

"Are you—oh my." Celestia's eyes widened. Her hide twitched in several places, as if she were dislodging a swarm of flies. "You didn't—oh dear—mix—_whinny_—any other spell—ah!—into your oath did you?" Celestia turned her head and bit her shoulder where a particularly bothersome itch was making itself impossible to ignore.

"No!" Chrysalis retorted. "Why is this—_horse apples_—why is this happening? And how is my _tail _itching? I can't even feel my hindquarters!"

"I think I may—oh!—know what's going on." Celestia said grimly. "I'll be right back." She teleported out, leaving Chrysalis alone.

The queen started squirming as best she could with the rear three-quarters of her body immobile. She let loose with a stream of curses in two dozen languages, learned over six thousand years.

The itching got worse.

ooOoo

**Saturday, May 28, 2013 9:53 AM**

Back on Earth Teagan's parents along with Matt and Elaine stared at the letter and business card they'd found in their door upon their return.

_Kansas Department for Children and Families_

_Dear Mr. and Mrs. O'Gara,_

_The DCF has received a report concerning the possible neglect of your daughter Teagan. In order to investigate this report in the most expedient manner possible a social worker has been assigned to your case (case number **N754683-26**). Please cooperate fully with your social worker so this matter may be resolved with the least inconvenience to everyone concerned. _

_Please be aware that failure to cooperate fully and completely with DCF personnel will prolong our investigation and result in needless stress and may result in further investigations and/or corrective action._

_Sincerely, _

_Rachel Padgett  
Director  
Department of Children and Families._

The card listed the social worker's name as Mia Gant.

"Is it time to panic _now?_" Elaine asked her husband sarcastically.


	14. 14 Rapprochement

**Chapter 14 – Rapprochement**

_In which our heroine dissembles, ancient powers stir, and a plot thickens._

* * *

Kongen Fjell stared in distaste at the thing standing before him. It was shaped like a pony, but it was _dead_, the fur and hide flayed from the body, the muscles clearly visible with bones peeking out here and there. It had swum out of the solid stone floor and confronted him in his private audience chamber.

"You _dare, _foul beast?" He growled angrily. "I will send you back into the Deep Dark from whence you came!" He leaped to the wall behind his seat and grabbed his great axe..

He spun to face the draugr, already swinging. The draugr stepped back far enough that the blades whistled harmlessly past.

"_I come as emissary, Troll King."_ The undead pony said calmly. "_My Master sends his greetings."_

Fjell felt the horror of that voice crawling over him like a plague of spiders but halted his next stroke. The Law forbade harming an emissary, no matter how unwelcome they might be.

"Speak then." He said reluctantly.

"_He has heard of the misfortune visited upon you. He sends a gift to comfort you for your irreplaceable loss. It is his hope you are able to use it to bring justice for the wrong done you._"

The horrible thing twisted its head back and pulled something with its teeth from the tattered saddlebag it bore. It then plaid a stone tablet upon the council table.

Fjell studied the tablet, instinctively recoiling from the dark stone upon which deeply graven runes glowed with the color of poisonous lichen, a sickly yellowish-green. The draugr stepped back three paces.

"Who is your master?" Fjell demanded.

"_I am not permitted to say." _The draugr replied. "_He feels knowing his name might influence your judgment, King of the Trolls, and that would be improper according to the Law. All he wishes is that you know the truth."_

"What price does he ask for this truth, monster?" The Kongen demanded.

"_None, It is a gift, freely given._" The draugr replied. "_My Master simply offers his condolences for your loss and offers you knowledge that may aid you in bringing the guilty to justice._"

It then turned and sank into the stone floor, swimming downward. It vanished as though it had never been, leaving behind only the faintest whiff of rotting flesh.

Kongen Fjell began to read the tablet. His eyes widened and his face broke into a silent snarl. He quickly scanned the entire text and then went back and read it slowly, weighing the words against what he already knew to be true.

When he was done he sank back into his chair, thinking deeply, the look on his face part grief and part rage.

After a couple of hours he hung his axe back on the wall. Carefully picking up the tablet he placed it under his chair and went to the door. He instructed one of the guards on what he wanted done. Then he returned to his chair and brooded.

ooOoo

By the time the train pulled into Canterlot Station the trolls had convinced their queen that the blood oath was less self-mutilation and more a seldom used but sacred ceremony. Teagan hadn't approved, but let it go, knowing there was no way she would budge the trolls on the issue.

In addition she'd been given an overview of her entourage, their names and stations, how she should address them without giving offense, and a dozen other details.

The pomp and intricacy of a royal entourage was something she'd dreaded ever since she learned thirty trolls made up her personal train. But, of course, she'd been expecting a _human_ entourage, with all the political intrigue that entailed.

Trolls, it turned out, were much more practical. Half her entourage consisted of a troupe of guards. They were part of the _klanen av formålet,_ and thus family, but like Skrent and Flint were under her personal command. Their primary task was to protect the entourage as it made its way back to Hejm.

The _klanen _also contained three "runners", troll messengers that could literally run for hours on end. Their job, as Søyle explained it, was to carry messages like some two legged pony express, and wasn't _that _a surreal image? Like the guards they were military personnel.

Five more trolls were porters, each of which drew a large wagon loaded with supplies for the journey back. Being trolls whose profession was transport, each massively muscled porter could haul five tons of cargo in their enormous wagons. Given how much trolls ate when on the march twenty-five tons of cargo might not actually be _enough_, which is why the guards also doubled as foragers and hunters.

They weren't military, but Teagan was shocked to learn they had _volunteered_, rather than been assigned. Apparently, being part of her _klanen _was very prestigious, and being trolls, patriotic (to the _queen_, not the World Below). The thought made Teagan shiver, and put even more load on her shoulders.

The rest of the _klanen _were the ones that gave her pause. Alene Hule in particular made her worry. He was, apparently, second only to Alene Avgrunn in the ranks of the Alene. She supposed it made sense for him to be part of the _klanen_ but she planned to keep a close eye on him until she knew where his ultimate loyalties lay. Unlike most trolls, the Alene could see shades of gray, and were exceptionally intelligent. Teagan had promised herself she would _never_ take an Alene lightly.

The remaining trolls were a mix of males and females, all in the prime of life but still high-ranking representatives of the major troll clans. Søyle made sure Teagan was aware of the influence those trolls wielded with the actual clan leaders, and thus in turn, with the council.

Although Teagan was beginning to wonder just how much pull the council actually had over the rest of troll society…

Stepping off the train she was immediately surrounded by a wall of trolls, who knelt on one knee and bowed their heads. Even kneeling, all the males were taller than she was and the females were certainly no shorter. Only the Alene, an elderly troll, didn't kneel, but he did nod when meeting her eyes.

"_Velkommen, Dronning_." The words rumbled around the assembled trolls like a minor earthquake. Knowing trolls never lied (any that did not truly welcome her would have remained silent) Teagan relaxed a bit, even though Søyle had said half the group viewed having a non-troll as their queen with misgivings.

"_Takke dere alle, jeg er glad for å komme hjem._" Teagan said with a smile and more than a little genuine warmth.

_Thank you all, I am happy to come home._

Søyle had coached her on that phrase for a good fifteen minutes. She'd stressed that Teagan needed to mean it when she said it. Strangely enough, Teagan did. She already counted Skrent and Flint as friends and had no trouble being clan with them, as well as Søyle, who had proven herself to Teagan by her unflinching protection of Emma during the ambush and that unnerving blood oath.

_Home was where your family is_, she thought, a warm feeling welling up.

Of course the whole clan situation was _bizarre_. She was soul bound clan to the ponies—there could be no doubt of that. They absolutely _were _clan O'Gara, one third human, at least their spirit was, no matter what their bodies might look like.

She was also queen of the trolls, there was no doubt about that either, not with Crush's eyes lodged in her mind and its soul wrapped around her own. She was legally a troll—and thus clan O'Gara was also a troll clan, no matter that her body was human.

And these thirty trolls had willingly bound themselves to her as a new clan, a clan of purpose rather than blood, but a clan none the less.

Given the trollish mindset it meant she was safe with them, even Alene Hule, because they were _family_. And trolls took family bonds as seriously as they did oath breaking. Of course trolls took _everything _seriously, but if there was a conflict of loyalties, family came first.

The only problem was she hadn't had time to ask Søyle which family was more important, _klanen av blodet _or _av formålet_. Given what she knew about trolls she bet Søyle wouldn't even make a distinction between the two. That made it _her_ responsibility to see such conflicts of loyalty didn't arise.

_Joy, _she thought, her mood dimming just a bit.

_"Dronning, forventet vi deg til å komme flere timer siden." _A female said.

Teagan shook her head. "I'm afraid I can't speak Trollish yet."

"_Ynsiv, Hest språk._" Another female said chidingly.

"_Jeg snakker ikke Hest._" The first female replied. She slumped slightly, her face turning slightly darker green.

"Ynsiv doesn't speak pony, Dronning." The second female said, giving the other troll an amused look. "The _Langtpunkt _have little exposure to the World Above. They are more comfortable _vandre i den dype mørke_."

Ynsiv flinched before drawing herself up and staring at the other troll, her mouth opening slightly to reveal the slightest gleam from her very white teeth.

"_Hjördís, bare vi gå dypt mørke. Du bør være snill mot fetteren din._" Alene Hule said to the second female, his tone mildly reproving.

"I can relate, Ynsiv." Teagan replied, smiling at her. "You don't know the World Above and I don't know the World Below. That's why I came, so I could learn."

Ynsiv smiled, and gestured helplessly.

"_Hun sa, Jeg kan forholde seg, Ynsiv. Jeg har ingen erfaring i Verden Nedenfor. __Det er derfor jeg kom, så jeg kunne lære._" The Alene translated, and then nodded his head to Teagan.

Now that she knew her name it was easier for her to identify the troll woman. She wore a loincloth and halter like the others, but hers was plain gray cloth, clearly sturdy but nothing like the richly patterned and embroidered material the other females sported. Her harness leather was also plain and lacked the elaborate tooling the other trolls (even the males) wore. It clearly eschewed form for function, with abundant steel attachment points for gear but no ornamentation of any kind. Even the guards had ornamentation of copper and silver on their harnesses, unlike Ynsiv.

"Dronning, is this your sister?" A male asked in the slightly uncomfortable silence. He had the typical lanky troll build, but was slightly thicker in the body than either Skrent or Flint, and carried himself in a way that clearly said _noble_ to her instincts.

"No, she is my _bestevenn_, part of my own _klanen av formålet._" Teagan said, not mentioning Emma wasn't supposed to be there.

"Hi, I'm Emma." The girl said with a smile.

"I am Tor. Welcome, cousin." Tor nodded politely.

Emma blinked. "Cousin?"

"Of course." Tor tilted his head. "You are clan of the Dronning, as are we, therefore you are clan. Making you our cousin."

Emma's smile lit up the room.

Teagan sighed to herself, just now realizing _anyone_ she claimed as clan (of purpose or blood) would automatically be part of _this_ _klanen av formålet_. What kept ambushing her was just how simply the trolls viewed clan relationships. She had a mental image of a huge web connecting the trolls, ponies, her own family and now Emma, with her in the center. It made her dizzy, so she banished it and refocused on the group.

She found she was getting better at distinguishing individual trolls. Learning their names seemed to be enough to start picking out features that made them distinct from one another.

"How many of you speak English?" Emma asked, staring around the group with interest. Her wide-eyed enthusiasm and warm smile seemed to diffuse any rudeness the question might have engendered.

"English?" The second troll woman asked. "What is English?"

"Equestrian, Emma." Teagan said quickly. "Twilight told me English and Equestrian are the same language."

"Oh. Ok, how many of you speak Equestrian then?" Emma asked, beaming around.

All but two of the clan representatives did, it turned out, one of the runners, and four of the guards (including Dag, the sergeant). After some discussion it turned out most of the guards spoke a little pidgin Equestrian, but two of the runners, all of the cargo haulers, and two of the clan representatives spoke none at all.

It turned out the second troll woman's name was Hjördís of clan Midtenhule, while Tor was clan Veggvakt.

Søyle had said she herself belonged to clan Midtenhule, and Midtenhule was a close ally of the Fjell's clan, the Herskere, which is why she was on Fjell's short list of suitable wives.

Teagan watched Emma as the girl happily chatted with the trolls. Matt's training kicked in and she found herself analyzing the way the trolls reacted to Emma and each other. Her instincts, bolstered by his training and her own experiences in Equestria, began laying out the obvious relationships and the hierarchy they formed.

Emma's cheerful willingness to speak to any troll that could understand her and her obliviousness to their social hierarchy, made Teagan grin inside. Given that Teagan had claimed her as best friend and clan member, it gave Emma an unknown but clearly high social rank. While trolls were nowhere near as deferential by nature as humans, they liked knowing their place in the hierarchy and Emma's unknown status made them cautious. Most ponies would have been _astounded_ by the polite behavior the _klanen _displayed to Emma.

Teagan suddenly found herself comparing Emma to _Pinkie_ of all ponies. While the human girl was nowhere near as manic she had the same obliviousness to rank that Pinkie did, and an infectious smile that seemed to defeat the troll's instinctive distrust of non-trolls.

_She could be a big help this summer_, Teagan's mind suggested treacherously. _Look how easily she's fitting in with them. Bet she'd hear all the best gossip…_

Teagan firmly clamped down on that line of thought. Hejm was a week's journey on foot from the closest stop on the railroad line headed north from Canterlot. Emma wouldn't be able to make such a trip, not to mention it would put her best friend in danger from all the threats lurking in the wilds of Equestria.

_Look at her_, her mind insisted. "_She's a natural. And Søyle would protect her against anything Crush and I miss. _

She sighed. If she couldn't even control her own thoughts how could she possibly be queen_?_

ooOoo

Celestia appeared in front of Discord and snorted angrily, glaring at him.

"What?" He asked, bewildered.

"What. Did. You. _Do?_" Celestia growled, hide twitching even as her eyes narrowed.

"What are you talkingabout?" He asked, taking a step backward. "I haven't done anything today_. _Except get knocked for a loop by that human!"

"You did something to Chrysalis. And _me_." Unable to bear it she turned her head and bit at a particularly maddening itch. Snapping her head back she glared at him. "This isn't funny, Discord. _Fix it._"

"What am I, your handyman? Perhaps if you tell me what's wrong I might be able to do something!" The draconequus complained.

"Both of us are _itching_." She hissed, head lowered, lining up her horn as she took a step forward. A sliver of light ran up and down the ivory spear.

"Well, excuse _me_, Princess, but who knows where Chrysalis has been? I'm not surprised that mangy creature picked up a few fleas!"

"These aren't _fleas_, Discord." Celestia said, eye twitching. "This is a spell. It didn't start until we exchanged magical oaths."

Discord paused. "Wait—oaths? You didn't swear to help her did you?"

"Yes!" She scrubbed her cutie mark against a convenient hallway corner. "In exchange—oh _buck_—for—_grrr!_—her oath to give up her—_arg!—_vengeance!" Celestia gasped, using the leading edge of her wing to scratch her shoulder. The doctor and nurse witnessing her distress began to back slowly away.

"Oh dear." Discord said with a furrowed brow. "You really shouldn't have done that."

"_Go ndéana an diabhal dréimire de cnámh do dhroma ag piocadh úll i ngairdín Ifrinn!"_ Celestia snarled with enough venom to make Discord blink in surprise and the two medical ponies bolt.

"Oh my! Celestia,I had _no _idea you knew such language!" He said, smiling. "That was top-notch swearing! I didn't know you had it in you!"

"Discord, you have no idea what I'll swear to do to you if you don't fix this infernal itching _right now_." Celestia said in a low dangerous voice. "I guarantee it will be something extremely—creative_._ Fix this. _Now_."

"I'd love to help, Celestia, but I can't do anything. You two were the ones who made a magical oath and triggered the spell's failsafe. If I change Chrysalis back it will cure _her_ itching, but not yours."

She looked at him, appalled. He snickered. "Of course, once I undo the spell, there _is _a cure for you too—but I don't think you'll want to use it."

"Why? What is it?"

"You have to roll yourself in a patch of Poison Joke, Celestia. For at _least _half an hour. It takes a full day to completely cure the itching. Of course, then you'll have to find a cure for poison joke."

He grinned happily.

ooOoo

Rådgiver Sannheten was uneasy. The runner that had appeared to summon him to the Kongen's presence said only _your presence is required immediately. _Normally when Fjell summoned him it was over some council matter and the runner would tell him the appointed time and the subject to be discussed, giving the councilor enough time to gather relevant material.

The Palace was a good ten minute walk from the Borgen. That gave Sannheten plenty of time to think. But by the time he passed through the palace doors he still hadn't come up with a plausible explanation.

As he made his way along the bustling corridors his unease mounted. There was simply no reason for Fjell to do this. Upon reaching the throne room he was surprised to find his way barred by two members of the _Tilbake_, the Kongen's personal guard.

"Rådgiver." The one on the right spoke, nodding his head respectfully. "The Kongen awaits you in his private audience chamber. We are to escort you."

One guard took the lead as the other fell behind. The councilor's unease became active worry. Whatever was going on was clearly being kept quiet, which for the Kongen meant state-level secrets were involved.

Sannheten wondered if it had something to do with the Dronning. She was not due to arrive for a week yet, so it shouldn't be that. Nor could it involve Tišina. The prophecy had long since run its course; it had been far longer than the single month the prophecy foretold since her death. The only other possibility involved the ponies, but surely Fjell would have given him time to prepare properly if it had been that.

The guards stopped outside the doors to Fjell's audience chamber. One knocked, then opened the door and motioned Sannheten to enter. When he did so the guard closed the door and remained outside.

The Rådgiver paused, taken aback. Normally the chamber held a large circular table and enough chairs for the entire council. But now the chamber was bare, the lys-mose on the ceiling reflecting from the gleam of the polished floor. There was only one chair now, occupied by the Kongen, who stared at Sannheten with a complete lack of expression. Resting point down in front of him was a spiked, double-bitted axe, the end of the haft well above the seated Kongen's head.

"What is this, Kongen?" Sannheten asked, completely confused. The Kongen did not answer, simply watching him silently.

"Has there been an attack? Has something risen from the Deep Dark?" He asked uncertainly. "Kongen? Why do you not speak?"

"Words fail me, Rådgiver Sannheten of Clan Inngang." The Kongen said in a flat voice, completely devoid of emotion. "The Lore and the Law have failed me. Those I trusted have failed me. The past is treachery, the future foresworn. And here am I, alone in the moment."

A chill swept over the old troll. The Kongen's eyes held a coldness he had never encountered before. There was nothing there, a terrifying emptiness that whispered insane secrets and promised peaceful oblivion.

"Are you feeling well, Kongen?" The old troll couldn't keep his apprehension from coloring his voice.

"No, Rådgiver." He said. "I am not. I have stared into the Deepest Dark and discovered terrible secrets there. Secrets that should not be, secrets no troll should ever have to know."

"Surely Alene Avgrunn would be better able to help you, Kongen?" Sannheten asked carefully. "I know nothing of magic."

"Magic cannot aid me." Fjell said calmly. "There is no guide on the road I now travel, Rådgiver."

"Then how can I do so, Kongen?" The old troll asked, wondering if the guards had locked the door behind him.

"I know you, Rådgiver Sannheten of Clan Inngang. I know what you have done." The Kongen's voice was calm, measured.

"And what is it I have done, Kongen?" The old troll managed to maintain a calm demeanor in spite of the fear beginning to knot his belly.

"You took a child's father from him." The Kongen replied softly. "My father, Rådgiver. You were the cause of his demise. You played one clan against another for your own profit. And thus your hand carved the passage. If not for you he would still be alive. Please, deny your deed, Sannheten. Foreswear yourself. Give me that gift, Rådgiver Sannheten of Clan Inngang."

The Kongen sat relaxed, his tone containing no hint of anger. Sannheten stood silent, knowing his death watched him with empty eyes.

"I will not deny it was my hand that loosed the avalanche, Kongen." The Rådgiver said after a moment. He raised his head, proud and defiant. "I will not deny it killed your father. But I _will_ deny with my final breath it was my intent he die. It was inconceivable a pony could kill the Kongen while Mountain Heart was in his hand."

"Nevertheless, I do not deny my responsibility. Strike if you will."

The two trolls stood silent, watching one another.


	15. 15 Retrograde Advance

**Chapter 15 – Retrograde Advance**

_In which painfully gained progress is swiftly undone._

* * *

Teagan settled on the couch and closed her eyes. Now that the Ghrian suite held a dozen trolls it seemed far smaller than it had with her and a half dozen ponies. Even Fjell's visit hadn't crowded the suite this much.

"This is unbelievable!" Emma exclaimed in awe. "Teagan, _look _at this place! It's amazing! I'm actually afraid to sit down. What if I break something?"

Without opening her eyes Teagan reached up and grabbed Emma's arm, yanking her down on the couch next to her.

"Problem solved." She said, chuckling. "It's designed to be lived in, you know. Just don't eat anything messy in here and you'll be fine."

"Easy for _you_ to say! I bet you stayed here last time, didn't you?" Her friend asked.

"Both times, actually. The first time I didn't get to enjoy it because I was confined to bed for two weeks while my feet healed up. The second time I was just too busy and too worried. Maybe this time I'll get to enjoy myself."

A loud knock came from the suite door.

"Or not." Teagan sighed. She started to struggle to her feet to answer the door but before she could Søyle came hurrying out of her room and did it.

Teagan stood there blinking in surprise.

"Lady in waiting, remember?" Emma said, giggling.

"She's the _king's wife!" _Teagan hissed at the other girl. "She shouldn't be doing little things like that."

"Why not?" Emma asked. "Don't you know what a lady-in-waiting does?"

"Not really." Teagan admitted, watching as Søyle stood aside and let a young stallion walk into the room.

_Colt, not stallion,_ she corrected herself as she saw how small the teal unicorn was. She admired his mane, a teal and dark blue combination that complemented his coat rather than contrasted with it.

"Dronning, a messenger has come." Søyle said formally.

The colt moved forward and made a picture perfect bow. "Your Majesty, Princess Sparkle requests your presence as well as Lady Emma's. I would be honored to show you the way."

Teagan smiled. The colt's solemn tone and serious demeanor made him devastatingly adorable. She fought the urge to gather him in for a cuddle. She doubted he'd appreciate it.

"How did she know about me?" Emma asked, standing.

"Good question." Teagan responded. "Maybe Princess Celestia told her? Her chariot's a lot faster than the train. She'd have beaten us back by an hour and a half."

"Her Royal Highness has not yet returned, Your Majesty." The page said, dipping his horn respectfully. "But I'm sure Princess Sparkle will be happy to answer your question."

"What's your name?" Teagan asked, realizing the colt hadn't introduced himself.

"My most humble apologies, Your Majesty. My name is Glittering Bobbin. However, you may call me Bobbin if you prefer."

"All right, Bobbin. Lead the way."

When Skrent and Flint moved to guard her back she waved them off.

"You two relax. It's been a rough day and you deserve a break. Besides, I doubt I'll need you in the castle itself." Teagan and Emma followed the page as he left the suite.

ooOoo

"Your joke is in very bad taste." Celestia said coldly.

"I'm not joking, Celestia." Discord said, turning serious for a moment. "Those ghost fleas will continue to torment you until I turn Chrysalis back and you roll in a big patch of poison joke. And then you have to live with the effects a full day before trying to find a cure. Pardon me while I indulge myself in some well deserved _schadenfreude_."

"Very well. Have your little prank." She grimaced. "Change your shape so we can get on with this."

"Hmm. What shape shall I wear? You ponies are such a diverse lot. It's an embarrassment of riches, really. Maybe an earth pony? No, too plain. But pegasi are so noisy and violent. Oh, and of course unicorns are so _stuffy_. What to choose, what to choose…"

"Discord." Celestia growled. "_Pick one. _It doesn't matter. All three tribes can be doctors!"

"Well I _certainly_ won't pick alicorn." He sniffed. "You and your sister are just way too impatient, Celestia. I'll never get this opportunity again! I want it to be just perfect. After all, it's not every day I see my greatest rival brought low."

Celestia closed her eyes and snapped her tail viciously against her shoulder. She winced and then relaxed. "You're not doing yourself any favors you know. Fun is fun, but this is really uncomfortable."

"You have _no_ conception of what uncomfortable means, Princess." Discord said, growing still. "Try standing rigid for a thousand years if you want to know what uncomfortable feels like. Or maybe having your leg broken—or your _neck_. I can testify from personal experience how uncomfortable each of those things is!"

His snarl melted into a big smile.

"Oh, but what am I saying? The longer you're like this the longer I have to wait to watch your cure! How silly of me. I _really _plan to enjoy your cure."

"Why?" Celestia asked, alarmed.

"Because while I have no idea exactly what will happen—poison joke is _so _unpredictable—I know the more magically powerful the victim is the more, um, extravagant the pranks become. I am simply agog when I consider what _you _might experience_._"

"And what if one of the poison joke's pranks is dropping the sun onto Equestria?" Celestia asked, snapping her tail under her belly and wincing again.

"Why are you whipping yourself?" Discord asked, distracted.

"It makes the itch stay away longer." Celestia answered. "Your turn. How do we know I won't become a danger to everyone?"

"The only person poison joke can _endanger_ is my sister. For anyone else—and that includes you—it's limited to harmless, if annoying, pranks." Discord said. "Of course you needn't take my word for it. If you don't trust me you don't have to subject yourself to the poison joke. You might even grow to enjoy the itching."

She glared at him.

"Well, stranger things _have_ happened, you must admit." Discord said. He snapped his fingers and morphed into a tall white unicorn with golden mane and tail and blue eyes. His cutie mark was two overlaid four-pointed stars, the front one gold and the rear one blue.

Celestia groaned, closing her eyes.

"Now, vere is mine patient?" Discord said with Germane accent and a sparkling smile.

ooOoo

**Saturday, May 28, 2013 9:56 AM**

"The way I see it," Evelyn said as the quartet discussed this latest disaster, "you play outraged innocents. They already know we want Emma to come back, so tomorrow at sunrise we contact Twilight again and tell her we need Teelo back here for a day or so. Once she's back you call the social worker, quietly express outrage and demonstrate there was no neglect. Quick, calm, effective. Meanwhile you hire me to investigate the school counselor. If she's petty enough to threaten to sic the DCF on somebody for refusing to answer her questions, she's probably left a trail of other indiscretions big enough to use as leverage."

"Isn't that extortion?" Elaine asked uneasily.

"It's a gray area." Evelyn said frankly. "But we aren't asking her for money, only to leave us alone. Neither she nor we want this to come out publicly. There's simply no benefit to either side. Right now she thinks she's untouchable. If we show her she's vulnerable and give her an out, she'll take it."

"That makes me very uncomfortable." Elaine said shaking her head. "It's like we're the bad guys."

"Do we even _know_ it was her?" John asked with a worried frown.

"No, but she's certainly at the top of the suspect list." The PI replied. "I'll be able to find out one way or the other. If she isn't, we do nothing. Of course that would mean someone _else _did it, and from what I gathered nobody else has motive, right?"

"Not that I know of." John admitted. "I don't know we can afford to hire you, though. They don't pay college professors that well." His tone was apologetic.

Evelyn waved his objection away. "Just give me one of the gems from Equestria, a nice ruby, maybe. That way I really am working for you." She grinned evilly. "I would do it for free but having me on retainer gives us a lot more flexibility."

"Thank you." He said with relief. "I never thought Teagan's adventures could hit so close home. Speaking of which did you ever come up with a way to deal with the gold and gems?"

"I have a lawyer friend working on it." Evelyn said. "He tells me it might be a little tricky, but there's some legal mumbo-jumbo he can pull. You know lawyers." She rolled her eyes. "It's all legal, but you may not like the odor of it."

"Why?" Elaine asked sharply.

"It basically involves setting up a blind trust." Evelyn said. "There's a lot more to it but the end result is that the trust is managed outside your control and you receive the income from it. That income is taxed as normal."

"What about the original declaration?" John asked. "You know, establishing the trust?"

"That—is a bit of legalistic sophistry that's beyond me." Evelyn admitted. "But he assures me it's all legal. It's amazing what lawyers can get away with. Oh, Matt, I assume you want in on this?"

"Yeah. Those gems aren't doing me any good sitting in the safety deposit box." Matt said. "Even assuming I retired now and went to Equestria for good they aren't worth nearly as much there as they are here, so it's not like I can just horde them. Next time I go back I'm going to explore the possibility of doing some trading."

"I don't know how that could work." John objected mildly. "The only ones who can open the bridge are Subtle Dancer and the princesses. I doubt they'd be willing to do it regularly."

"That just means I have to bring over something small that's valuable to them." Matt grinned. "Surely our tech can come up with _something_ useful to Equestria. Magic can't solve everything."

ooOoo

"Teelo!" Twilight exclaimed happily as Bobbin brought them to her chambers. "It's great to see you!"

"Been too long, Twilight! But how come you're in Canterlot? I thought you lived in Ponyville. And what's this about being a princess?" Teagan hugged her. "Hi, Spike!"

"Hey Teelo." Spike waved, grinning.

"Well, I had to move back once this happened, didn't I?" Twilight half-spread her wings and refolded them.

Teagan's jaw dropped. "Wi-wi-_wings?_" She stared at Twilight in shock, noting how Twilight's horn was slightly but noticeably longer than it had been. "You're an _alicorn?_ When did that happen? _How _could that happen?"

"It's a long story." Twilight said. "Didn't Sun Hammer tell you?"

"No, he didn't." Teagan said. "He didn't tell me about _Discord_ either."

"Ah. Well, that explains why he ended up plowing into Celestia's tea table." Twilight giggled. "You smacked him with Crush, right?"

"Yeah. As hard as I could." Teagan blushed. "I had a flashback."

"Oh, that's terrible. Are you ok?" Twilight asked in concern.

"I'm ok. As much as I hate to admit it, I think smashing him with Crush was catharsis for me. It also doesn't hurt that he's afraid of me now." Teagan chuckled grimly. "But I did promise Princess Celestia as long as he doesn't try to hurt me or mine I'll leave him alone."

"Well, that's good. I admit I had my doubts when she first asked us to reform him, but it seems to have worked." Twilight said. "I guess even Discord isn't immune to Fluttershy's kindness."

"Wait—_Fluttershy_ was the one that reformed him?" Teagan asked incredulously.

Twilight nodded, grinning. "Nobody can resist her for long."

"You know, I _can_ see it." Teagan said slowly. "She's a living lesson in not judging a book by its cover, isn't she?"

"Oh, I _like_ that." Twilight said with a wide smile. "I have to remember that one!"

"You've never heard it before?" Emma broke into the conversation. "I thought you lived in a library?"

"I do—well did." Twilight responded cheerfully. "You must be Emma. Welcome to Equestria."

"Thanks, but how did you know my name?" Emma asked curiously. "I didn't think Equestria had phones."

"What's a phone?" Twilight cocked her head, her thirst for knowledge suddenly prodded. "Is that a human thing? What does it do?"

"It lets you talk to someone far away." Emma said. "But if you don't know what a phone is I guess you don't have them after all. So how did you know about me?"

"Oh, I talked to your parents about an hour ago." Twilight said calmly. "They want you to come home as soon as possible."

Both girls goggled at her, making her giggle.

"You look like Fluttershy's frogs." She teased them.

"You're just full of surprises today." Teagan said, recovering. "How in the world did you pull that one off?"

"The figurines we gave you." Twilight replied. "Mine had an experimental spell in it called _T__airseach U__rlabhra_. When Emma went missing your parents talked to my simulacrum and she cast the spell. It worked!" Twilight beamed at them.

"And this spell lets you use the figurine to talk to my parents?" Teagan asked. "By the way, how come nobody ever mentioned _those statues could talk?_ It would have been nice to know that before Emma stumbled across it accidentally!"

Twilight blinked. "Didn't Princess Celestia tell you about the simulacra spells cast on them? I spent _hours_ modeling for my simulacrum's anima."

"No, she didn't." Teagan said drily. "If she had I never would have given them to Emma to keep safe for me while I was here, and Emma would never have discovered the secret of Equestria and snuck over the bridge with us, and nearly gotten herself killed when Chrysalis ambushed us."

"**_WHAT?_**_"_ Twilight screeched, loudly enough to bring two gray unicorn guards bursting through the door.

"Is everything all right, Princess Sparkle?" The one on the left demanded, eyeing the two humans."

"Yes, everything's fine. I just got some surprising news. Sorry to worry you, Steeplechase, false alarm. Everything's fine." Twilight said, blushing slightly.

The guards saluted and returned to their posts.

"Gee, Twilight, overreaction much?" Spike sniggered, then sobered. "What's this about Chrysalis ambushing you?"

"She had an army with her." Teagan said, turning grim. "There was a huge fight. It—didn't end well."

"What do you mean?" Twilight's pupils widened until her eyes were nearly all black.

Teagan looked at Twilight and then at Spike and meaningfully back to Twilight.

"Spike, maybe you should step out for a few minutes." Twilight suggested.

"Oh no! No way are you getting rid of me!" Spike said firmly. "I may be a baby by _dragon_ standards but not by pony ones! I'm almost an adult by pony reckoning. I'm tired of being treated like a baby, Twilight! Whatever it is I can handle it."

"Funny, you should say that, Spike." Emma said softly. The dragon looked at her curiously. "I said exactly the same thing before I snuck over the Bridge. I thought I could handle it. I thought I was grown up."

She stared at him with a lack of expression that sent a shiver down the purple dragon's spine.

"But you know what? I was wrong. I'd give _anything_ to forget what I saw. Trust me—you do _not_ want to know."

"You're going to tell Twilight." He said resentfully. "She's only five years older than I am."

"Spike." Teagan's voice was gentle. She waited a moment until she was sure she had his attention. "I told the Mayor of Ponyville exactly the same thing I'm telling you. You do not want to hear this. It's not because I think you can't handle it. It's not because I think you're a coward. There are some secrets so horrible no one should ever have to keep them. As the _Dronning av Fjellet, _the Queen of the Mountain, I _beg_ you, listen to me. You will be happier not knowing. Please don't make me tell you."

Spike's eyes grew wide.

"Is it really that terrible?" Twilight asked softly.

"It's worse." Teagan answered quietly, still watching the dragon. "Please, Spike. Don't make me darken your life. Please."

"I'm Twilight's number one assistant." Spike said, straightening. "If she has to bear a terrible secret, she won't do it alone. Go ahead and tell me."

Twilight's eyes widened even further. "Spike, no, don't do this." She whispered.

"Sorry, Twilight. No can do." He shook his head. "Tell me."

"You're sure?" Teagan asked sadly. "You must _never_ tell anyone else, do you understand?"

"Yes." The small dragon stared at her steadily.

"All right. When Chrysalis attacked us, and we were about to die, Subtle Dancer cast a spell." Teagan paused.

"What kind of spell?" Twilight asked.

"You remember the ring of torches the guards always set up in the Bridge clearing?" Teagan asked. The alicorn nodded.

"His spell turned them into dragon fire." Teagan said bleakly. "Every changeling within sixty feet was killed, burned to a husk. Hundreds of them."

Twilight looked confused for a moment, and then her irises contracted to pinpoints as it finally sank in. She sat down with a thump, shocked speechless. Spike turned pale and swayed on his feet.

"Two of Chrysalis's elite guards attacked Subtle Dancer." Teagan continued. "They were bigger than Sun Hammer, probably as big as Princess Celestia. Sun Hammer managed to kill one, but the other savaged Subtle Dancer before Flint and Skrent managed to drive it off."

"When Chrysalis finally hit the ground the rest of the changelings collapsed, moaning in pain. But her personal guards wouldn't stop fighting. In the end we had to kill them too."

"_Kill…_" Twilight shuddered. "Is Chrysalis dead too?"

"I thought I'd killed her, but when we dug her up from the bottom of the impact crater we found out she was still alive."

Twilight's eyes were already as wide as they could go but her jaw dropped.

"Where is she now?"

"Ponyville Hospital," Teagan replied, "Along with ten changelings that managed to survive the fire spell. They were blinded and their wings burned off. I'm told regeneration spells can heal their wings and eyes. Celestia's probably already interrogated her."

"He—he _killed_ them? With dragon fire?" Spike asked, holding one paw over his stomach, a nauseated look on his face. "How could he _do _that? Ponies don't kill their enemies!"

"Sometimes you don't have a choice, Spike." Teagan said gently. "If Subtle Dancer hadn't used that spell I'd be dead right now. So would Emma, and Sun Hammer, and everyone else in that clearing."

"But, wouldn't they just have captured you?" Spike asked pleadingly.

"No, Spike. Chrysalis ordered them to kill us. I heard her say it. In fact, she shouted it. She wanted us to hear."

A tear rolled down Spike's cheek. Everyone pretended not to notice.

"You were right. I should have left when you asked." He said miserably.

ooOoo

The two trolls watched each other silently for a good five minutes. Finally, Fjell stood slowly, pushing himself up with the axe as though he were exhausted. His eyes never left Sannheten's.

"You will not die this day, Rådgiver." Fjell rumbled. "Shall I tell you why?"

"I listen." The old troll said, still wary.

"I have spoken with Alene Avgrunn concerning the death of my father in the past, asking why justice was never dealt for his murder. Oddly, he never mentioned you. And he refused to call the deed murder, for he claimed it was honorable combat, that both Sun Hammer and my father faced each other fairly."

He grimaced. "I would have still slain Sun Hammer without a thought. Had I known about you earlier I would have killed you as well, for all that the Law does not condemn you. I would gladly have become forsworn so long as I could have your blood on my claws. I would have forsaken my kingdom to avenge my father. I tell you this so you may know what it costs me to spare your life."

"Then why stay your hand now?" The Rådgiver asked. If the two had been human his question might have goaded Fjell into attacking. But they were trolls, and thus Sannheten's question was an honest one, and Fjell answered.

"You owe your life to the Dronning. She is clan with Sun Hammer, she is his friend, and yet she still mourned my father's death even though she never met him. It was she that opened my eyes, showing me Sun Hammer lost nearly as much as my father on that day. For _nothing_."

Fjell's eyes narrowed with the first sign of emotion he'd shown so far in their confrontation. "My father died for _nothing_, Sannheten of clan Inngang. You killed him for _nothing_. Your debt is so great you could not repay it if you lived a hundred lifetimes."

"Your life is now mine, Rådgiver. For however long you live, you will live your life as I direct. You will give me your unquestioned support in council; you will strive in all things to enact my will. Whatever goals you had those long years ago are no more. Clan Inngang will now ally itself to Herskere in all decisions. Swear this."

"I swear to serve you faithfully, Kongen Fjell of clan Herskere." The old troll said heavily. "I will vote as you direct. Clan Inngang will ally with Herskere. I will serve you with my whole strength. I, Sannheten, acknowledge my debt, and vow to do what I might to pay it. I have said what I shall do."

Fjell nodded grimly, then turned and hung his axe back on the wall.

"Assemble the council." He said, turning back. "The dead have risen to stalk the living once more. The Deepest Dark stirs. We must be ready to face it."

Sannheten shuddered, then bowed and strode from the chamber.

ooOoo

"Now, _meine fräulein_, vat ist ze problem?" The tall white-coated unicorn smiled at Chrysalis as he made a show of examining her, complete with glowing horn. "Ach, _meine güte_, the spine is _gebrochen_, how you say, kaput! _Nein_, this will not do at all! Must fix, _ja_, _schnell _like bunny! So you can run and play, _ja?_"

Chrysalis stared at him in disbelief, and then turned to Celestia.

"_This_ is going to heal my broken spine?" She asked incredulously. "He can't even speak Equestrian!"

"_Ja, meine _Equestrian ist not so _güte_, from Germaney I come. Dr. Ludwig von Pferd at your service, _hübsche Stute_. Do not worry! I fix you up, _blitzschnell_. You vill see! Like so!" The unicorn's horn blazed and there was a loud _crack_.

Chrysalis yelped and leaped off the bed without considering her back legs didn't work. Celestia was about to try and catch her when both of them realized the changeling queen was standing on four legs instead of sprawling on the floor, the sheet still half-draped over her hindquarters.

She blinked. "I stand corrected." She said dryly. Dr. von Pferd broke into a braying whinny of laughter.

"Ist _güte_ joke, _fräulein!_ Now, valk around ze room, if you plis. See if spine ist fixed." He grinned at her.

Obediently the changeling queen did as she was bid, carefully. She walked around the room, then irritably used her magic to dump the sheet back on the bed. With a smile she turned a tight circle, as though she were chasing her tail. Satisfied she nodded at the doctor.

"Dr. von Pferd, my apologies for doubting your skills."

"_Nein_, do not fret." The unicorn said dismissively. "It vas _nix_."

Chrysalis suddenly stepped into the bathroom doorway and rubbed hard against the edge of the door. "Oh, this infernal _itching _is driving me mad! Celestia, how can you stand this?"

"I'm trying to ignore it." Celestia responded with gritted teeth. "I'm sure the good doctor can do something, can't you Dr. von Pferd."

"Oh, _ja! _Easy-peasy. Is _psychosomatischen_, this itching. Comen ze here."

When Chrysalis did the doctor leaned forward and stared her in the eyes. She leaned backward with a look of distaste.

"_Nein._ Stare into _meine_ eyes, _fräulein. _Stare deep. Do not look away." The doctor's voice turned stern. Reluctantly Chysalis complied.

"What now?" She asked. The unicorn leaned forward and kissed her, hard. There was a loud _snap_ and suddenly the unicorn was gone, and Discord stood in his place.

Chysalis looked at him in growing horror. He grinned.

"Got you, Chryssy. Now be a good girl and turn back into a flutterpony for Uncle Discord."

Her body began to glow, covered in a surging chaotic rainbow, the colors chasing themselves over her body without rhyme or reason. As the glow brightened Chrysalis collapsed.

And began to scream.


	16. 16 Casus Belli

**Chapter 16 – Casus Belli**

_In which the meek cry havoc, the blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and the masquerade is threatened._

* * *

Teagan went to Spike and hugged him.

"I tried to warn you." She said. The baby dragon took a deep breath. She felt him grow rigid and jumped back as he growled.

"Spike?" She asked uncertainly. He glanced at her and despite him being only three feet tall she felt her blood run cold.

"Why?" He hissed, and she could see little curls of flame escaping from between his teeth. The flames weren't the green color he used to send messages, they were red and orange. His eyes narrowed to slits and his pupils expanded until his eyes were almost completely black. His tail tip whipped back and forth like an angry cat.

"Why would she order them to _kill_ everyone?" His voice was raspy. The little licks of red flame were now mixed with a great deal more orange and some yellow.

"Spike, calm down!" Twilight said, alarmed. "Getting angry about it won't change what happened!"

"But it _will_ keep it from happening again." Spike snarled. His voice was definitely deeper. The flames were yellow now, with little blue tips. His ridge was turning a darker green and his ear frills were now almost black.

"What are you going to do, Spike?" Teagan demanded. "Kill her? How would that make you any better than she is? She's been taken prisoner! Her _spine_ is broken. She's no threat now!"

"Good." He hissed, his forked tongue tasting the air like a snake's. His smile showed a _lot _of teeth. "I'll just finish cleaning up the mess. I'm goodat cleaning up messes, right Twilight? It's what I _do._" The last word reverberated in Teagan's chest.

"Is he getting taller?" Emma asked uneasily, taking a step back.

"Oh no! It's happening again!" Twilight moaned. "Spike, you have to stop! Last time you lost control like this you almost hurt Rarity!"

"Oh, crap_, _oh, crap, oh _crap." _Teagan whispered, eyes widening as she realized what was happening. "Spike, listen. I know you want to go nuts on Chrysalis and I really can't blame you. But it won't help anything. She's not right in the head! I think losing so many of her children drove her crazy. She's _insane_, Spike!"

"I don't care." Spike was definitely growing—his voice was a bass rumble and his eyes were level with hers now. He was bulkier than he had been a minute before, the muscles in his arms and legs starting to bulge like a bodybuilder's.

"Please, Spike! Just calm down!" Twilight pleaded. The dragon ignored her, dropping to all fours. His light purple scales were getting darker, and his ridge was a deep forest green. He stretched his back and everyone heard the series of pops as the vertebrae realigned to match his now quadrupedal stance.

"I am _very_ angry, Twilight." Spike said, his body lengthening again. "Chrysalis needs to be stopped. She attacked Canterlot, remember? She tried to hurt my friends. She _did_ hurt the Princess. Now she's tried to kill Teelo! And worst of all? _She tried to hurt_ _Rarity_. No more Mr. Nice Dragon. Time to take out the trash."

Wings sprouted from his back. Now nearly ten feet long the dragon probably weighed a quarter of a ton and he was still growing. He stalked toward the tall windows, a pale black tinge edging his scales.

"Spike, I won't let you do this!" Twilight stepped between the advancing dragon and the windows.

Spike lunged suddenly, massive jaws snapping together an inch from Twilight's muzzle. She shrieked and dodged instinctively. Crouching Spike launched himself through the windows, black wings unfurling even as gravity yanked him earthward.

_"SPIKE!"_ Twilight's scream was counterpointed by the doors slamming open as both guards charged into the room, horns lit.

Unnoticed in the uproar, the skinned and bloody head of a pony rose through the floor. Its teeth seized a glowing black crystal before sinking back out of sight with its prize. No one paid any attention to the faint odor of rotting flesh it left behind.

They were too busy staring after the dark purple dragon rapidly disappearing toward Ponyville.

ooOoo

Sweetie Belle trotted happily along the path through the park on the edge of Ponyville, hurrying to meet the rest of the Cutie Mark Crusaders for yet another attempt at earning their cutie marks. The filly was singing a silly little song of her own creation, concerning ants and sugar gum drops when an earth pony stumbled into her path.

"Help me, please! My sister, she's been hurt!"

Sweetie Belle came to an abrupt halt, startled by the bruised and bloody mare.

"What happened to you?" She asked as the mare hung her head, her sides heaving.

"Come quick, my sister's not moving! _Hurry!"_ The mare turned and stumbled away, nearly going down in her exhaustion.

"Hang on, shouldn't we find an adult?" Sweetie Belle exclaimed as she instinctively followed the battered pony further away from town.

"There' no time! I'll show you where—" The mare stumbled again and landed on her knees with a pained whinny. She struggled to her feet.

"You need a doctor!" Sweetie Belle pleaded as the dogged mare plunged on.

"My sister's hurt worse than me." The mare gasped, starting to limp now. "A _lot_ worse." A sob forced its way out of her.

Sweetie Belle had no trouble keeping up with the silver mare with a lollipop cutie mark. The mare's bright blue mane was filled with brambles and her tail was covered in cockleburs.

"What's your name?" The filly asked, giving up on stopping the stubborn pony for now. She'd just have to run for help once she found out where the pony's sister was.

"Ca-Candy Floss." The mare panted, clearly on her last legs.

"I don't think you're going to be able to keep going much longer, Candy Floss." Sweetie Belle said in concern. "Is it much further?"

"No, just a bit more—" The mare stopped and fell in a heap and started crying. "I—I can't do this! Run! Run away little filly! Before they catch you! Save yourself!"

"What are you talking about? What about your sister?" Sweetie Belle asked, bewildered.

"Weak, stupid horse." A voice snarled. "You betrayed us! Now you'll be Doctor Rimor's new plaything! Get that filly!"

"_NO!" _Suddenly Candy Floss was on her feet, all signs of exhaustion gone. "Run, you stupid filly! It's too late for me, but I'll take at least one of them to Tartarus with me!"

She screamed, a shriek of rage that bore no taint of fear, and pawed the ground, a deep furrow trailing her hoof. Shocked into motion Sweetie Belle spun, only to see a score of diamond dogs surrounding them. Several of them had nets.

Candy Floss screamed again and charged. The alpha stood frozen, staring in shock at the suddenly no-longer-feeble mare. She leaped at the last moment, slamming her front hooves into his face even as her weight crashed into him.

He went down with a yelp, four hundred pounds of maddened earth pony landing on him. She smashed all four hooves downward with enraged strength over and over again, legs blurring. Sweetie Belle cringed at the cracking noises. They sounded like sticks being snapped under hoof. The diamond dog lay silent and still under the savage trampling.

Silver furred legs now stained with red, the mare screamed again and charged another dog Sweetie Belle bolted, aiming for the gap between two dogs that didn't have nets. They were too shocked by the fall of their leader to react in time, grasping paws clutching nothing but air. The filly heard a thud behind her, then a strangled yelp followed a _crack_, and frantic cursing as the pack swarmed their attacker. The mare's furious whinnying screams acted like the sting of a whip to spur the filly to even greater speed.

She galloped for a hundred yards before something slammed into her side, throwing her off her hooves and stunning her. She rolled to a stop, her side blazing in pain. Gasping for air, each breath squeezing tears from her eyes she looked up to see a huge looming figure striding toward her on two legs.

She scrambled to her hooves, the pain wrenching a squeal from between clenched teeth. She recognized her attacker as a troll, and knew the only chance she had was to run. But she didn't know if she could the way her side was hurting. Worse, the troll was between her and home. With the troll in front and the diamond dogs behind she tried to think, still woozy from the tumble. Just as the troll reached for her she turned to the left and forced herself to run.

The pain was a white-hot blaze of agony. With each pounding step it nearly blinded her. She wheezed as she ran, terrified the troll was going to catch her before she could reach town. She groaned as she glanced off a tree trunk, sparing thanks to Celestia it hadn't been her injured side.

She could feel her strength leaving her and she panicked as the troll crashed through the brush so terribly close behind her. That's when her hoof caught on a root and sent her to the ground. She had just enough presence of mind to land on her uninjured side but the impact still knocked the wind out of her, and turned her legs to jelly. There'd be no more running, she couldn't draw a full breath, much less summon the strength to rise. She turned her head to see the troll kneel beside her and didn't even have the breath to scream. She could barely keep from blacking out.

The troll chuckled as it raised one massive fist. She closed her eyes and cowered, knowing she was going to die.

ooOoo

Chrysalis's screams brought medical staff running. They crowded the doorway, not daring to enter when they saw both Celestia and Discord in the room. The latter gave Celestia a cheery wave and snapped his fingers, vanishing in a flash of light.

Immediately after Discord's departure the screaming stopped and the colors stilled around the huddled pony on the floor.

Tentatively the multicolored pony opened her eyes, panting.

"That _hurt._" She said, hesitantly gathering her hooves under her and shakily clambered upright.

"How do you feel?" Celestia asked gently, momentarily free of the maddening itches.

"Actually—good. _Very_ good. In fact, better than I have in six thousand years." The other pony spread her iridescent wings and shook herself. "And the itch is gone!"

The alicorn took in the sight of the transformed changeling queen. Hard black chitin had been replaced with soft black fur, the saddle she'd always worn replaced with one trimmed in gold and rubies. Her gnarled black horn was now a long slender shaft of gleaming spiraled ivory. The silly spiked crown was nowhere to be seen, but a pair of long delicate antennae sprouted from where the crown would have been. Her legs were whole, with no holes in them.

The tattered dragonfly wings had been replaced with those of a rainbow-hued butterfly, similar to the ones Rarity had sported during the Young Flier's Competition. But unlike those fragile constructs made of morning dew and magic, Chrysalis's new wings were opaque, shimmering with powerful magic.

In fact the queen radiated power so intensely the resonance caused sparks to flash in Celestia's mane and tail.

"You may want to cloak your power, Chrysalis." The Princess noted quietly. "You feel like a unicorn foal in the midst of a flare."

"Sorry." The queen's aura slowly dimmed to a slight shimmer.

"Much better." Celestia nodded. "Did your hive transform as well?"

"No." Chrysalis replied. "I must go to them, especially the ones here that were injured. And the proper term is _kaleidoscope, _Celestia. We are _flutterponies_, not changelings."

"I will remember." The alicorn promised, gracefully dipping her horn.

"Thank you. Now, if you'll excuse me I must tend my children."

Celestia winced and snapped her tail against her back to quell the sudden reminder of her own situation.

"I too have a task that will not wait. Good fortune, cousin." There was a flash and the alicorn was gone.

"She is _such_ a showoff." Chrysalis snorted in amusement. "Now, will someone kindly lead me to my injured children? I have a great deal of work to do."

ooOoo

"Did you hear somethin'?" Apple Bloom asked suddenly raising her head.

"No. Where's Sweetie Belle?" Scootaloo asked in irritation. "She was supposed to be here half an hour ago. If she doesn't hurry we won't have time to look for our cutie marks!"

"Maybe Rarity made her do some chores?" Apple Bloom offered. "Still, I'm getting kinda bored waitin'. Why don't we go see what's keepin' her? I mean it ain't like her to blow us off or nothin'."

"Sounds like a plan!" Scootaloo enthused. Let's get moving!"

Trotting down the ramp of their clubhouse Scootaloo hopped on her scooter while Apple Bloom climbed into the wagon. They were soon buzzing along, taking the same path Sweetie Belle had used on her way to them before her ill-fated encounter—which had ended only minutes earlier.

Narrowed eyes, hidden deep in the trees, watched them pass. Once they had vanished around a bend in the path the dejected diamond dog retreated to rejoin what was left of his pack, who were waiting deeper in the woods.

He slunk through his pack mates toward the troll scowling in the middle of the pack. Next to the looming troll stood a brown unicorn with aqua mane and tail, a filly lying sprawled at her hooves. There was no sign of Candy Floss.

"The other two fillies just went past looking for that one." The dog whined, nodding at the unmoving filly. "We need to go before Miss Rarity comes to punish us!"

"_Quiet!" _The troll snarled. "I say when we go, mongrel. You're being well paid for this, and the prize is ours. What do I care if a _sydame_ comes after us? It will be hours before the ponies can organize search parties, they have no idea the filly is gone."

"We needed her _alive_, Jern." The unicorn said snidely. "Why did you hit her so hard?"

The troll snorted. "Because these _mangel hjerner _couldn't even catch a youngling, Glitter. If I hadn't stopped her she'd have gotten away."

"And if _I_ hadn't intervened you'd be in Rimor's clutches right now, Jern." Glitter said sweetly. "You know he doesn't tolerate failure. _Or _underlings that ruin his plans."

The troll scowled but said nothing. She waited a moment before continuing.

"The dog is right. We need to get back to the caves before somepony stumbles on us. One dead pony is useful for sowing panic, but more would just trigger a response by the Royal Guard. In case you've forgotten we're not ready for full on war. Not yet."

"I'm not afraid of the Guard. I can carve them up like cave lice, that armor of theirs is _worthless_." The troll boasted, flexing his claws.

"Thus revealing our organization to all of Equestria? You'd be screaming by morning." Glitter said coldly. "Rimor chose you because you're handy in a fight, and you know how to sneak around. That's the only reason you're in command. Besides, if you did manage to kill any guards we'd have the Horns swarming in here, or Celestia herself! And if thathappened Rimor would be the _least_ of your worries."

"Princess Shiny Flank can't be bothered." The troll sneered. "She's too busy holding her nose in the air and stuffing herself with cake."

The unicorn face-hoofed.

"You're an _idiot_, Jern! Did swatting that filly make all the blood rush to your stomach?"

The troll snorted. "As if. Oh, and speaking of stomachs, leaving that mare is a such a waste, Glitter. It's been a long time since I tasted pony."

"Ask me if I care, Jern." The unicorn glared. "You can always have the filly when we're done with her. Young meat's supposed to be tenderer, isn't it?"

"Now you're an expert on meat?" The troll asked disdainfully. "Besides, once Rimor's done with them they're not very appetizing. I like my meat still on the bone. It makes it more fun to eat. He always leaves them in such small pieces that it completely ruins the texture—it's like eating mush."

Glitter looked annoyed.

"We're wasting time. Pick up the filly and let's _go_. And be _careful _with her!Your ham-hooved attack was hard enough to fix, don't make me do it again. Healing magic gives me hives."

"All right, all right! Come on, you lot." The troll grumbled.

"We not going with you!" One of the dogs said with a snarl. "You pay us _now_. Stupid pony kill Rover _and _Butch. Four more besides! You say job be _easy_." The other dogs started growling too. "Not so easy! Now you say maybe get Celestia chasing us? No!"

"You'll do as you're told, you stupid mongrel, or I'll eat _you!" _Jern snarled, moving toward the complaining dog, apparently the new alpha.

"Diamond dogs not so stupid, troll! Count!" The dog grinned, flicking his ears.

"What?" Jern paused. "What do you mean, count? If you think there are enough of you to bring me down, think again you flea-bitten cur!"

"Stupid troll! Count _us_. How many you hire?"

Behind him Glitter did a rapid mental count. Then she did it again and her eyes widened.

"A score of you. So?" The troll shrugged.

"Mad pony kill six! How many left?"

"Jern! Two of the dogs are missing!" Glitter called out. The troll hissed in annoyance.

"What are you planning, stupid cur?"

"Not stupid! _Smart_. Troll stupid. Diamond dogs know about caves! You try kill us those two run, tell ponies where you are! Where _filly_ is! Now, you pay and we leave, no tell ponies."

"I'll see you all dead first!" The troll roared loudly.

"Jern!" Glitter snapped. "Are you _trying_ to bring them down on our heads?"

The troll turned and snarled at her, infuriated. A green glitter ran up and down her horn as she glared back.

"Calm down and _think_." She scolded. "We have the filly, that's all that matters! Pay them and let's get out of here! That roar is bound to bring ponies to investigate!"

The troll glared at her, then at the new alpha. Snarling he unslung his pack. Digging through it he tossed a large heavy sack at the dog's feet. Bending down he scooped up the white filly.

"Tricky dog." He snarled. "Don't let me see your face again, or I'll tear it off and shove it down your throat!"

The new alpha smirked, knowing he'd bested the troll.

"Make sure pay is real." He directed a lieutenant. The other dog quickly ran his nose over it.

"Is good." The dog assured his alpha. The alpha smiled and waved the troll and unicorn away. Snarling the troll broke into a run followed closely by the fleet unicorn.

The alpha directed his remaining pack to divide the contents of the bag between them and then the diamond dogs scurried away, leaving the sack lying abandoned in the dirt.

ooOoo

By the time Teagan and Emma had calmed down the seriously freaked out Twilight and the latter had ordered a chariot and a wing of the Guard as escort (at Teagan's insistence, she was still twitchy from the ambush) Spike had already reached Ponyville, being easily twice as fast as a chariot.

He'd stopped growing somewhere early in the flight and right now was only twenty feet long, weighing about a ton. His scales were a deep purple color, almost black at the base and lightening toward the edge of each scale to a pale violet. The effect made a shimmering wave of color run down his body with each undulating stride.

The fact he was glaring made any pony in his path bolt in terror. He stalked up to the entrance to the Ponyville Hospital and pushed inside, barely clearing the lintel even on all fours.

"Where is she?" He hissed at the nurse behind the reception desk.

"W-wh-Who?" The terrified pony stammered.

"Chrysalis." The word was rumbled calmly, but little licks of blue flame curled around his teeth.

"And why do you seek Chrysalis, dragon?" A large horned flutterpony had suddenly appeared between the quivering nurse and the dragon.

"What are you supposed to be?" The dragon cocked his head in curiosity. "I've never seen a pony with butterfly wings before."

"I am the Queen of the Flutterponies." The black pony said calmly. "Why do you seek Chrysalis?"

"To put her out of Equestria's misery." The dragon replied. "Do you know where she is?"

"Who are you to seek _her_ out?" The flutterpony asked, studying the dragon before her with a distinct lack of enthusiasm. "I am told she is quite powerful."

"My name is Spykoranuvellitar. Chrysalis tried to kill a friend of mine. I'm going to return the favor." The dragon's rumble wasn't particularly loud, but it reverberated like an earthquake. By now the reception area was empty except for the dragon and the flutterpony.

"I see." The queen studied him for a moment. "Who was this friend Chrysalis tried to kill?"

"Lady Teagan of Clan O'Gara." The dragon replied. "But that isn't important right now. Do you know where she is or not?"

"I do know where she should be." The flutterpony nodded. "But this Lady Teagan is the Queen of the Trolls, is she not? My understanding is that Lady Teagan killed Chrysalis in battle."

"No. She didn't." Spike said flatly. "Chrysalis is still alive. An unfortunate state of affairs I plan to fix. Now tell me where she is. I am growing bored with this conversation." The dragon's jaws parted just a little, revealing the guttering flames in his mouth.

"I will do better than that, Spykoranuvellitar." The flutterpony replied. "I will lead you to her. You won't be able to find her without my help. She is a tricky one."

"She is." The dragon considered her for a moment. "Why do you choose to aid me, Your Majesty?"

"Let's just say I'm curious to see how this plays out." The flutterpony replied. "Come with me."

She led the dragon out of the hospital and lifted into the air, arrowing away with astounding speed for a creature with butterfly wings. Spike launched after her, finding it difficult to keep her in sight.

She led him out of town toward a large field adjacent to the woods where the diamond dogs had ambushed Sweetie Belle, landing in the center. Spike came down close to her.

"There's nothing here, Your Majesty." Spike said with narrowed eyes. "Where is Chrysalis?"

Turning to face him the flutterpony bowed.

"Greetings, Spykoranuvellitar. My name is Chrysalis, formally Queen of the Changelings. I have reclaimed my rightful form and title as Queen of the Flutterponies this day."

There was no warning, no hesitation. The dragon opened his jaws and loosed a torrent of clear blue flame straight at the flutterpony queen. It washed over her with the hissing roar of a gargantuan flame thrower.

Nothing made of flesh and bone could withstand such heat. It was well known that dragon fire is second only to the Wrath of the Sun in terms of deadly fury.

ooOoo

Celestia appeared in a flash at the edge of a tiny clearing in the Everfree Forest. She made her way to a squat tree that had colored bottles hanging from the branches and a stout wooden door. She knocked gracefully with her hoof.

After a moment the door opened to reveal a zebra wearing multiple gold rings around her neck and left leg. She blinked in surprise, bobbing her head, which made her Mohawk-like crest bounce.

"Your Highness, this is certainly a surprise! Though I dread what ill your visit implies."

"Hello, Zecora." Celestia's smile turned into a grimace as she slapped the underside of her belly with her tail. "Oh, that feels _better_."

The zebra cocked her head to one side. "Princess, please do not think me rude, but why is your tail in such an imperative mood?"

"The tale of my tail is long and involved, and if truth be told, needs your help to be solved." Celestia winked.

Zecora chuckled. "A noble effort you put forth indeed, to honor this zebra, but there is no need. Still, tale telling is always a thirsty vocation. Perhaps some tea during our conversation?"

"Tea would be lovely. Twilight tells me your teas are always delicious."

"Twilight Sparkle has always been kind, however such teas are easy to find." Zecora said, waving away the compliment. "Please, step inside and be at peace, privacy I can promise you at least."

Celestia accepted the invitation, stepping into Zecora's hut, which consisted of one large room, a small bed tucked in an alcove, the rest of the hut dedicated to a myriad of bottles and flasks and bunches of herbs drying as they hung from the ceiling. More bottles and jars filled the shelves along the wall and there was a large black cauldron resting in a fire pit in the middle of the hut.

Zecora busied herself making tea as Celestia sat patiently, only occasionally biting at a particularly irksome itch. Once she had served her guest the zebra settled down and spoke.

"I have heard how busy it is under our proud monarchs' roof, I fear what brings you to seek my helping hoof."

"I need to ask a favor, Zecora." The alicorn said. "While attempting to rid someone of a powerful curse I accidentally triggered a trap protecting the spell. The result is a magical itching, as though I were infested with phantom fleas."

"Such a curse I fear I cannot tend, this magic is one I know not how to mend." Zecora said, shaking her head. "I know no remedy nor potion nor balm that could rid you of this curse so wicked and strong."

"Actually, I already know how to break the curse. All I have to do is roll in a patch of poison joke for about an hour and coat myself with the pollen."

Zecora stiffened.

"Your Highness this cure I must surely protest! The blue flower's dangers you have not addressed! The vile Tišina it did turn to stone, what makes you think it will leave _you_ alone?"

"Discord assures me the plant is only deadly to Tišina." Celestia said calmly. "Although I'm sure the side-effects will be—unpleasant—I can assure you these phantom fleas are even more so."

Zecora sat in thought for a few minutes, clearly trying to find an alternative.

"You know your business best, I'm sure, but trusting Discord does not reassure! That being of chaos I most surely detest, it would be wiser I think not to trust that foul pest."

"He's reformed, you know." Celestia chuckled, sipping her tea. "Although I do admit he was gloating over my misfortune very openly. Still, I trust him in this. He said something about getting more entertainment from my cure than my malady."

"Aye, that twisted snake takes pleasure in the suffering of others, beware Princess when you willingly submit to his druthers!"

"I'm a big filly now, Zecora." Celestia said with a chuckle. "This won't be the first time I've suffered from one of Discord's pranks. I only have to endure it for one day, how bad could it be?"

Zecora shuddered. "Never tempt fate, oh royal mare with the long white horn! When Discord is playing you may rue the day you were born. None the less I will lead you to a dreadful blue patch, to roll and to tumble till your fleas you do scratch. Though in kindness most free, will I grant you a boon, the cure for poison joke to take at full moon."

"Would it be rude of me to ask you to hurry?" Celestia asked apologetically, squirming where she sat. "This itching really is terribly uncomfortable."

"Not at all, dear Princess, my friend in great need, let us away to the blue flowers to do the kind deed. Here is your cure, I always keep plenty, for ponies so silly, who knows just how many?"

She donned a bag and put the cure inside, then led Celestia through the woods where no paths led and finally to the largest patch of flowers Celestia had ever seen, blue blooms stretching out of sight under the dimness of the trees.

"The wind is blowing away from us here, go deep in the patch and roll without fear. Not a single monster there is but that dreads the blue flower, I attest to you now all fear its fell power."

Celestia strode into the patch of flowers without hesitation. She walked a hundred yards before turning and looking at the zebra, who nodded and waved at her.

Taking a deep breath Celestia lay down and began to roll and squirm, a faint blue haze rapidly surrounding her as she wallowed in the poison joke, crushing it under her weight.

ooOoo

Rarity was in her shop doing inventory when Apple Bloom and Scootaloo arrived.

"Hi Miss Rarity." Apple Bloom said. "We was wonderin' when Sweetie Belle was gonna be done with her chores."

Rarity paused, confused. "Why, whatever do you mean, darling? Sweetie Belle left to join you over half an hour ago."

"That's weird." Scootaloo said, scrunching up her face. "She'd never just dump us. I wonder where she is."

Rarity frowned in concern.

"You're right, Scootaloo. She said she was going straight to the clubhouse because I had kept her a little longer than I meant to. This silly inventory business is taking much too long, even with her help. It shouldn't have taken her more than ten minutes to reach you."

"You don't think somethin' coulda happened to her, do you?" Apple Bloom asked, her pupils contracting to pinpricks.

Rarity stiffened, thinking rapidly. Knowing her sister wouldn't just wander off when the other Cutie Mark Crusaders were waiting for her made her heart race.

"You came straight here from the clubhouse, did you not?" Rarity asked casually. Eyes wide, the two fillies nodded. "And you saw no one on the way?"

"No ma'am." Apple Bloom said. "If she was headed fer the clubhouse we'd a run into her."

"I've been _working_ on braking, ok?" Scootaloo muttered. Rarity ignored her, still thinking.

"Far be it for me to be a nervous Nellie," she said in a carefully optimistic tone, "but perhaps we should see if any of the other mares have seen her. Scootaloo, I want you find Rainbow Dash, and have her alert Fluttershy so we can have some eyes in the sky. Apple Bloom, I want you to go to Sugarcube Corner and tell Pinkie we're looking for Sweetie Belle, then go home and tell Applejack. Tell them to meet me at the clubhouse."

"We're on it!" Scootaloo exclaimed as the two fillies spun and ran out the door. When they were gone Rarity's face twisted in worry, and she picked up her saddlebags, headed out to see what she could find along Sweetie's Belle's most likely route. Reaching the door, she paused, and then went back. Hastily she gathered a bristling pin cushion, a handful of knitting needles and a quartet of hatpins. She slipped them into her saddlebag.

"A lady must always be prepared." She murmured to herself and hurried out.

ooOoo

The blast of flames ceased, revealing Chrysalis standing in a circle of unburned grass. There was a faint emerald flicker in the air around her, forming a dome that enclosed her completely. Spike snarled and loosed another torrent of flame, concentrating until the jet narrowed and brightened, turning almost white. He let it burn against one spot of the dome, right in front of her face.

The flutterpony narrowed her eyes against the glare even as the dragon began walking forward, never letting the jet waver. The dome brightened where the flame impinged on it, the glow growing brighter as the dragon approached.

The rest of the dome faded to near invisibility as it fought off his flame. Spike's eyes crinkled in amusement as he came within five feet of the dome. Without warning the flame cut off and Spike spun in place, his thick tail coming around to slam against the dome's base, wrapping half way around as it cracked like a whip.

There was a loud chiming ring as the dome failed, vanishing with a flash. She leaped frantically straight up, using wings and magic to gain height even as Spike used the impact to spin back to face her, lunging forward with jaws gaping. The snapping teeth missed her, his muzzle passing mere inches beneath her hooves as she clawed for altitude.

Coolly she cast a spell even as she rocketed away. Vines burst from the ground and bound the surprised dragon in place, growing thicker by the second. Spike roared in fury and rearing upward, ripping half the vines out by the roots. He twisted his neck and deliberately breathed fire at the remaining vines, not caring when the flames played over his own scales in the process.

They wilted instantly under the dragon fire and he shrugged them off. Spreading his wings he lunged into the air, forcing Chrysalis to evade the plume of fire he spewed at her. With supernatural speed she pirouetted around the blazing column and dove under the climbing dragon, laughing at the ludicrous comparison of her graceful speed against his lumbering strength. She yelped in surprise as his tail unexpectedly lashed at her, forcing a wingover to avoid it that sent her straight toward the meadow grass. At the last moment she managed to twist so that she struck the ground hooves first, legs absorbing the massive blow. Without looking back she sprang forward into a gallop, ducking her head to avoid the flames that would have caught her had she chosen to fly instead of run.

A roar alerted her that she wasn't clear yet as Spike slammed down, rear talons digging into the earth where she had been an instant before. The white flash told the dragon she had successfully teleported and he kicked off, using his remaining momentum and beating wings to regain height.

"You are very good, Spykoranuvellitar!" The queen said, laughing from a hundred yards away. "How did you know the way to break my shield?" She leaped into the air, straight at him. He watched over his shoulder as she sped toward him, waiting until the distance closed and her horn started to glow. He spat another column of fire behind himself, banking almost vertically into a hard turn, his head staying on target the entire time.

The queen lazily performed a barrel roll around the roiling flames, spiraling toward him, adjusting her flight to match each attempt to hose her with his flame.

"I'm amazed a dragon as small as you has this much fire in him." She remarked as she sped past. "You're what, maybe sixty years old? So much magic in one so young!"

She was right. Spike didn't feel tired—his flames were still burning inside him, unabated as was his bloodlust.

"Twilight Sparkle studied shield spells after your defeat, Chrysalis!" He bellowed at the rapidly retreating queen. "I'm her research assistant! We looked for ways to defeat every shield spell we could find! Over _fifty_ of them! I know how to break them all!"

The flutterpony climbed straight up, no longer running. Spike started to climb after her, knowing he couldn't catch her but still positioning himself to take advantage of her inevitable attack.

"Well then!" She called down as she leveled off. "I suppose I'll just have to change my tactics!" Her horn started to glow and suddenly the sky clouded over with dark angry clouds.

"Behold the full power of the Flutterpony Queen!" She folded her wings and dove like a stooping eagle straight at him. His fighting instincts kicked in and he roared at her, ready to char broil the pony or slash her to ribbons, he really didn't care which at this point.

ooOoo

The chariot sped through the air with two humans and an alicorn onboard, pulled by a pair of pegasi. Around the chariot a score of grim armored guards flew escort, watching for anything that might harm their princess.

"I still can't understand why he attacked me." Twilight fretted. Emma looked sympathetic but said nothing as she clung to a hoof ring as far from the open end of the chariot as she could get. Teagan likewise kept a firm grip on her own ring but not with the same frantic strength. She was getting used to flying in the open vehicles.

"I've been thinking about that, Twilight. I don't think he meant to hurt you because he _missed_. I'm sure it was on purpose too."

"Not by much he didn't!" The alicorn protested. "I've never seen him like that before! It was like he was a feral dragon. I thought he was really going to hurt me!"

"I think that was his plan." Teagan noted. "He knows you. He knew you'd dodge him instead of blasting him with a spell. All he wanted to do was go after Chrysalis."

"Yes, but you don't understand, Teelo! When feral dragons become enraged they don't _care_ who they hurt. That's one of the things that make them so dangerous. A feral dragon is unpredictable at the best of times, but if it goes berserk it stops thinking about the long term consequences of its actions. All it wants to do is rampage."

"How'd he get bigger like that?" Emma asked suddenly. "He grew wings, too. Can all dragons do that?"

"Well, when they get old enough. They don't normally grow that fast. But Spike doesn't—_didn't_—have wings because he's just a baby. He wasn't supposed to get wings for at least fifty years."

"He didn't have wings the last time." Teagan said. "Why did he grow wings this time?"

"How did you—oh, that's right. Those plays." Twilight said tiredly. "I don't know! His growth last time was magical, caused by dragon greed. A lot of the things that would happen naturally didn't happen because of the speed of growth. It _should_ have been the same way this time."

"Wait, so greed makes a dragon grow?" Emma asked. "So does anger? Hasn't he been mad before now?"

"Yes he has. But anger shouldn't have triggered growth like that." Twilight said. "Something must have been different this time."

"Why did he get so dark?" Emma asked, more to distract herself that anything else. "Do dragons get darker when they age?"

"Some do." Twilight nodded, happy for the distraction. She paused. "But not _that_ much darker. I wonder…"

"What?" Teagan asked, feeling a chill run down her spine. "You think Spike had a little help?"

"What?" Twilight asked, surprised.

"You think something boosted his anger? To the point he started growing?" She clarified. Twilight's eyes widened.

"A catalyst! Of course!"

"What's a catalyst?" Emma asked.

"A magical substance that amplifies magical energies without being consumed by them." Twilight said automatically. "But there aren't any catalysts in my office. It would be way too dangerous! If the wrong catalyst were present it could cause all kinds of bad things to happen if you cast a spell."

"But you didn't cast a spell." Teagan pointed out. "At least I don't think you did."

"Well, not right then." Twilight admitted. "But earlier when my simulacrum contacted me—" Twilight's pupils contracted violently and her jaw fell open.

"Uh, Twilight? Hello? You ok?" Teagan said after Twilight hadn't spoken for a moment.

"What? Oh, yes, I'm fine. I just figured out what happened with the _T__airseach U__rlabhra_ spell I used to speak with your parents."

"Huh?" Teagan said. "What's that got to do with catalysts?"

"There must have been a catalyst in my office after all!" Twilight declared triumphantly. "When Spike's anger started generating dragon magic, the catalyst amplified his anger until it grew to rage. Then the rage triggered his change."

"Wouldn't that take a _lot_ of magic?" Emma asked uncertainly. "I mean he went from three feet high to ten feet long and grew _wings_."

"Well, yes. But you see _T__airseach U__rlabhra_ normally only takes minute amounts of magical power—which is measured in a unit called _thaums_. But instead of microthaums I was pumping in _kilothaums_, an enormous amount of magic! The spell lasted for several minutes too. If the catalyst absorbed all that energy and then fed it back into Spike there'd be plenty of magic to power his transformation."

"Ok, so now we know why it happened," Teagan said, feeling an irrational relief from having learned _something_. "The next logical question is what the catalyst was and why it was in your office."

Twilight's ears drooped. "I have no idea. My office is considered a sensitive area so the Horns routinely check to make sure things like that can't happen."

"How often do they check?" Emma asked.

"Once a week." Twilight responded. "The next check is in two days, so if a catalyst was in my office it had to show up in the last five days. As far as I know nothing new came in."

"Call me paranoid," Emma said, "but didn't you say Chrysalis knew we were coming, Teelo? That somebody tipped her off?"

Teagan stiffened. "Yes. I thought it was Discord, but he denies having talked with her for several thousand years."

Emma snorted. "And you trust _him? _Is this the same Discord that tried to torture Fluttershy to death?"

"No, he isn't." Twilight said firmly. "He was possessed when that happened. Fluttershy reformed him. I'm not saying he can't lie, but I doubt he'd hold a big enough grudge to do something like _that_."

"Hah. You weren't there Twilight." Emma said, shuddering. "It was horrible."

"I know." Twilight's voice became gentle. "I've faced many enemies, Emma. It's always horrible. But when you fight for your friends it's always worth it."

"What she said." Teagan said softly. "Guys, we need to focus. Emma, are you saying that whoever tipped off Chrysalis might have planted the catalyst?"

"That's what I'm thinking. Isn't it just a _little_ convenient that Chrysalis knew when we were coming and that this catalyst thingy is in Twilight's office exactly when we show up and make Spike angry? Somebody is playing us. And that somebody seems awfully well informed."

"Hmm," Teagan said thoughtfully, "That makes a lot of sense. But it's a scary to think our enemy knows that much about what's going on."

"Almost like they planned it?" Emma asked, raising an eyebrow. "Or have I been watching way too much TV?"

"You think there's _another_ evil villain threatening Equestria?" Twilight asked skeptically. "Discord's reformed, Tišina's turned to stone, and Chrysalis has been captured. Who's left?"

"Twilight, this is _Equestria_." Teagan said patiently. "You've got monsters, and demons all over the place and who knows how many ancient evil gods, most of whom are _crazy._ We know for a fact Discord and Tišina are elder gods from beyond the Veil and _shaped_ this world. Discord brought Chrysalis here, who knows what else he brought? Not to mention the Princess herself had other enemies in the past. Is it really so hard to believe somebody we never heard of is back? Or even somebody brand new is trying their hand at world conquest?"

"I guess not." Twilight admitted reluctantly.

They spent the rest of the flight trying to figure out what the catalyst could have been and who would be in a position to know everything the mystery villain seemed to know.

ooOoo

Rarity trotted along the path, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious. When she arrived at the clubhouse without spotting anything she sat down heavily and hung her head. She tried telling herself that nothing was wrong, that Sweetie Belle had simply changed her mind and gone somewhere else—but she didn't believe it.

"Sweetie, Where _are _you?" Rarity moaned, a treacherous certainty growing in her belly.

"Rarity!" The unicorn's head snapped up as a pink blur stopped in front of her, revealing a badly limping Pinkie Pie, who was looking uncharacteristically alarmed.

"Darling, why are you limping?" Rarity asked, instantly assuming the worst.

"Oh, Rarity, it's super-duper-nasty-bad! My knee is so pinchy I can barely walk! And it _isn't stopping_." Pinkie whimpered. "Something really scary is happening and it's really, _really_ bad. I'm scared, Rarity!"

Rarity felt a chill go through her. She had never Pinkie Pie genuinely terrified before.

"Pinkie, Sweetie Belle is missing." The unicorn blurted.

Pinkie's irises contracted and she began to tremble.

"Oh, _no, no, no..._Rarity my tail's pinchy too!"

Rarity was momentarily taken aback. "Something's going to fall?"

"Not twitchy!_ Pinchy!_ Like my knee!"

"What does that mean?"

"Some pony's—hurt." Pinkie whispered, quivering, tears beginning to roll down her cheeks.

"Sweetie Belle?" Rarity choked out. Pinkie nodded miserably.

"It's getting worse, Rarity." She whispered. "She's gonna get hurt even worse."

"We've got to find her!" Rarity yelled, panic making her throat constrict.

"Rarity!" Fluttershy landed next to them. "What's going on? Rainbow Dash said Sweetie Belle is missing? She told me to come here to meet you. She said she's going to make a quick search around town."

"Oh, Fluttershy, it's awful! Pinkie's Pinkie Sense is telling her Sweetie Belle is hurt, and she's going to be hurt _worse_!"

"Oh no! Pinkie, where is she?" Fluttershy asked frantically.

"I don't know! My Pinkie Sense doesn't work that way!" Pinkie started weeping, not in her typical theatrical waterfall, but small trickles that darkened the fur under her eyes and down her cheeks. Fluttershy took a step back, shocked. Pinkie's mane and tail were slowly going limp, turning straight and flat.

The sound of pounding hooves alerted them as Applejack came thundering into the clearing, Winona close at her heels.

"We've got to find her!" Rarity said to Fluttershy. "Before it's too late!"

"Hold on there, Rarity. What in tarnation is goin' on?" Applejack demanded. "Apple Bloom said somethin' about Sweetie Belle not showin' up when she was supposed ta?"

"Sweetie Belle's missing, and Pinkie says her twitches are saying she's hurt!" Rarity was turning hysterical. "We've got to find my sister, Applejack!"

"We will, we will, jus' settle down, Sugarcube. That's why Ah brought Winona. Her nose can lead us straight to the little filly."

"Fluttershy, tell her to find Sweetie Belle!" Rarity demanded fiercely.

The pegasus nodded lowered her head to speak to the dog.

"We're really worried about Sweetie Belle, Winona. She's hurt and lost. Can you take us to her? She disappeared somewhere between here and Rarity's place."

Winona barked and wagged her tail, then put her nose to the ground and took off at a trot, the ponies following anxiously.

When she came to the point where Sweetie Belle had met Candy Floss she started barking rapidly.

"Winona says Sweetie Belle met an earth pony mare here and followed her that way." Fluttershy translated. "Off into the woods. She said—" Fluttershy swallowed. "The mare was hurt. She smelled blood."

"Oh dear Celestia! Then go after her!" Rarity said, stamping impatiently. Winona barked again and then headed into the woods, having to move slower now. When she reached the spot where Candy Floss had fallen she paused, barked and moved on.

"She says the mare fell here, and then got back up. Sweetie Belle was still following her."

"Sweetie must have been trying to help her." Rarity said. "But why would the mare go _away_ from town?"

"That is a puzzler." Applejack said as they followed the brown and white dog deeper into the woods. "Seems like Sweetie Belle shoulda tried ta go fer help."

Just then Winona seemed to go berserk, snarling and growling. Her furious barks came faster than Fluttershy could translate.

"She says the mare fell down again and a lot of diamond dogs came. More than five, no, ten, no, more. _Lots._ Sorry girls, dogs can't count past twelve…There was a fight, and blood…oh no!" Fluttershy sank to the ground, trembling.

Winona darted into the trees and started howling. The ponies looked at one another.

"What did she say, Fluttershy?" Rarity asked, dreading the answer.

_"Death_." Fluttershy whispered, staring with wide shocked eyes. "She's saying to come here, she found the mare."

"What about poor Sweetie?" Rarity asked, gasping for air. She looked ready to keel over.

"She just keeps saying _come here, come here_." Fluttershy forced herself to her hooves and stumbled toward the howling dog. The rest followed her.

"Oh no." Pinkie sobbed, turned her head at the grisly scene. Rarity swayed, her eyes darting everywhere. Winona slunk back to Applejack, who was clenching her jaw, the rest of her face expressionless.

"Reckon its plain ta see what happened." Applejack said in a neutral voice. "Them diamond dogs done jumped that poor mare and Sweetie Belle. Looks like she went plumb loco on 'em. Took out six o' the varmints afore the rest o' the pack pulled her down. That one there looks like she done trampled him inta the ground."

"We need help! They're _crazy_." Pinkie Pie shuddered.

"I don't see her, Applejack! Where is she?" Rarity's voice was desperate.

"She ain't here, Rarity. They musta carried her off. Lest ways it means she's still alive."

"We don't have _time_." Rarity wheeled on the earth pony, her eyes white rimmed and wild. "They've got my sister! We can't just _stand _here and wait for help!"

"What about your light spell, Rarity? The one you used at the Gala? Rainbow Dash is in the air, she could get here really fast." Fluttershy said, causing Rarity to pause.

"Yes! They can't be that far, Rainbow can find them!" Rarity pointed her horn straight upward and closed her eyes. Her horn glowed blue. The color deepened and flared, then her horn emitted a stream of red spheres that sped upward. A series of rapid crimson flashes turned the already gruesome scene absolutely lurid.

Rarity repeated the spell over and over for at least two minutes before a rainbow arrowed down the clearing.

"I'm here! What—oh my gosh! Is she—are they? _Oh my goshomygoshohmy_—"

"Dashie! Keep it together! Looks like the diamond dogs carried off Sweetie Belle. We're thinkin' she's hurt, so Ah need you ta get back ta town pronto and bring back as many ponies as ya can gather up right quick ta see ta this poor mare, and come after us as soon as may be. We're goin' on ta find the filly, an' looks like we're gonna need as much help as we can manage. Now, _git_."

"Yes, ma'am!" Rainbow Dash snapped out of her shock and saluted. She shot upward in a cyan blur.

"Pinkie, you and me gotta stomp hard ta leave a trail fer the other's ta follow. Fluttershy, Ah'm gonna need you up in the air ta be a lookout. Keep an eye out fer diamond dogs an' if ya see any come down an' tell us quick. Rarity, you know that there chop suey hoof-ta-hoof fancy fightin', doncha?"

"Yes." Rarity's eyes narrowed. "But trust me, dear Applejack; they will never get that close." Her horn glowed and two hatpins came out of her saddlebag, hovering like angry wasps on either side of her head. "They have hurt my sister. Now, _I will destroy them!"_

She turned away from her friends and the two slender lengths of steel flickered and vanished, becoming glittering silver serpents six feet long. They danced and struck at the dead diamond dogs with supernatural speed, all the while making an evil hissing noise that rose and fell with the rhythm of their movements. The snakes hit so hard and so fast one of the smaller dogs was actually flipped over, much to the horror of the watching ponies.

Rarity raised her horn the snakes suddenly leaped straight toward her. Fluttershy cried a warning as the deadly creatures reached the unicorn—only to turn back into a pair of two-foot long hatpins, hovering sedately to either side of her. The first third of each needle no longer glittered in the sunlight.

"Sweet Celestia, girl! What was_ that?_ An' what exactly are you fixin' ta do?" Applejack was pale.

"Just a simple illusion to frighten opponents. But you'd be _amazed_ at how much damage a simple hatpin is capable of—especially when they can't see it coming." Rarity said with a smile that made Applejack swallow.

"I know things is bad, Rarity, but yer startin' ta act like Teelo did that time Discord hurt the Princess."

"Am I?" Rarity asked sweetly. "How odd. I may be a lady, Applejack but even a lady has her limits. Those diamond dogs have forgotten who I am! How _dare _they ponynap my sister? _I am going to get her back._ Winona, be a dear and find Sweetie Belle for me, would you please?"

The dog kept a wary eye on the unicorn but did as she was bid. She sniffed around and then reversed course, headed back almost, but not quite, the way they had come.

"Looks like she got away." Applejack said hopefully as she stomped and dragged her hooves to mark a trail. Winona's snarling and barking killed that hope almost instantly.

Fluttershy was waiting for them with a seriously agitated Winona.

"Winona says Sweetie Belle got knocked off her hooves here." Fluttershy said sadly. "She says something big hit her. Look, you can see where her hooves left the ground and where she landed.

Applejack whistled. "Good gravy! That was some hit! No wonder she got hurt. What hit her?"

Winona whined.

"She doesn't know the smell." Fluttershy replied. "She says it's not a bear, she says it stinks but not like that. Sour and salty, she's never smelled it before. But there's something else too, another creature. She doesn't recognize it either, but whatever it was used magic."

"Magic has a smell?" Rarity asked, surprised. Winona barked several times.

"It smells like the air after a storm." Fluttershy translated. "Of course Winona's nose is much more sensitive than a pony's."

"Land sakes! We got somethin' big what can knock a pony off its hooves and somethin' _else_ what can use magic, and they ain't nothin' Winona's smelled afore? _And _they's runnin' wi' diamond dogs? Ah'm thinkin' we done bit off more than we can chew. Might oughta wait for reinforcements." Applejack said doubtfully.

"It doesn't matter." Rarity said quietly. "They have Sweetie Belle. _Nothing _is going to stop me getting her back. I'll go on alone if I have to."

"Rarity, be sensible! We dunno how many of them varmints are waiting fer us! Ain't gonna do Sweetie Belle no good if'n we end up like that poor mare back there. Help's comin', we just gotta wait."

"And while we wait they're _hurting_ my sister, Applejack! Isn't that right, Pinkie Pie?"

The pink mare nodded miserably.

"Dagnabit, girl we only got two good fighters here! Fluttershy, no offense, but this kinda fight ain't one you can handle. Besides that, jus' look at Pinkie Pie! She's done got the gumption plumb kicked out o' her! Just us two against a magic using whatsit and a big nasty thing, _plus _all them dogs? We'd be the snowball in their fryin' pan!"

"Oh, of course _Fluttershy_ can't be in this fight." Rarity said dismissively. She looked at Pinkie, who sat huddled, tears pouring down her face. "And clearly Pinkie can't help us either." She paused. "But I know somepony who _can_—somepony who fought Tišina in her very lair, in fact."

Applejack's eyes widened and she paled even further.

"No siree, Bob! Absolutely not! Not _her. _She's asleep and we _ain't_ waking her up!" Applejack protested, taking an involuntary step back. "That there pony is _seriously _bad mojo, girl!"

"She'd be worth three of Celestia's guard ponies in a fight. You know that." Rarity said calmly, walking up to Pinkie.

"Yeah? And how do we know she won't turn on _us?" _Applejack demanded. "She's a _demon_ Rarity!"

"To find my sister I'd take help from Nightmare Moon herself." Rarity retorted, making Applejack's jaw drop. "Pinkie, dear, we need to speak to your houseguest."

Pinkie sniffled. "You sure? I didn't think you liked her very much. Besides, she's _grumpy_ when she first wakes up."

"She _is_ crude and unrefined." Rarity admitted. "Polite society is not her element. But I think she'll find _this _party will fit her unique personality to a T. Perhaps you could use the opportunity to find Sweetie Belle as well? The way you found Garnet?"

Pinkie shook her head. "I jumped into Garnet's head before she left the operating room. I don't know where Sweetie Belle's head _is_, Rarity. If I did I wouldn't have to jump into it! Anyway, let me get her. This could take a minute."

"We are in a rush, dear." Rarity reminded her. Pinkie nodded and closed her eyes.

It seemed like a lot longer than a minute to the skittish Applejack and impatient unicorn when the pink pony finally opened her eyes again.

"Well, look who it is. I would chew you out for waking me up," she said, yawning, "but Pinkie filled me in. Sweetie Belle's been taken and Pinkie thinks she's hurt pretty bad, right?"

Rarity nodded.

"By the way, _love_ your new accessories, Rarity." The pink pony flashed a grin, then got up and stretched. "AJ, I know you don't trust me, but let me tell you something. I got a soft spot for fillies—and Pinkie. These plot holes hurt Sweetie Belle and made Pinkie cry. _That pisses me off_. When I find them—well I won't be holding back, know what I mean? You got a problem with that, Rarity?"

"No." Rarity said. "Once we have my sister back I'll leave whatever's left of the ruffians to your tender mercies, Cerise."

Cerise raised an eyebrow. "My, my, my. And here I thought you ponies didn't have it in you. Maybe you aren't as pathetic as I thought. You up for a _serious_ fight, AJ? These guys already killed one pony, this isn't like Appleloosa. It won't be thrown apple pies and silly songs this time."

"Ah'll do what Ah gotta do ta get Sweetie Belle back." Applejack nodded. "But once we got her we're _leavin'._ Just so's we're clear on that."

"Like crystal." Cerise grinned. "You guys would just go and throw up everywhere once I get warmed up anyway."

"Make sure Pinkie don't see." Applejack warned her. Cerise rolled her eyes.

"Yes,I _know_. Pinkie doesn't deal at all well with my kind of party. I'll make sure to take a bath and get far away before waking her back up. So, how do you plan to find Sweetie Belle?"

"Winona can follow her scent." Applejack said shortly. "Winona, go ahead."

The dog watched Cerise warily, but quickly took up the chase again. She started barking before they'd gone another ten yards.

"She says the big thing and the magic user were carrying Sweetie Belle when they split up with the diamond dogs. Then they started running."

"We must hurry! Before they get away!" Rarity exclaimed. Winona yipped and broke into a trot, her nose now held high. The three wingless ponies broke into a canter as Fluttershy soared overhead.

"They must know they're being chased. They'd have no other reason to run." Cerise noted. Rarity slipped her hatpins back in her saddle bags to conserve energy. Her eyes narrowed.

"Fluttershy, ask Winona how long ago they passed here." Rarity called up to the pegasus keeping pace with them. Obediently Fluttershy dove down and asked Winona a question, her soft voice not carrying over the pounding of hooves. A sharp bark was the response.

"About an hour." Fluttershy reported, and then returned to fly above the trees.

"We're moving too fast ta mark the trail." Applejack fretted. "The others ain't gonna be able ta find us."

"We'll have Fluttershy fly back and guide them." Rarity said, finding it hard to talk and canter at the same time.

The ponies plunged onward.

ooOoo

The chariot landed in the midst of chaos. As the three piled out they found Rainbow Dash haranguing a crowd. Twilight hurried toward her friend, the wing of Royal Guards trailing behind her with Teelo and Emma bringing up the rear.

"Who's with me?" The cyan pegasus bellowed, leaping into the air and lifting one hoof skyward. The answering shout was actually frightening, stallions pawing the ground and trumpeting their challenges as the mares reared and shouted.

"Rainbow! What's going on?" Twilight yelled amidst the tumult.

"Twilight! Thank Celestia you're here! Sweetie Belle's been ponynapped by diamond dogs! Pinkie says she's hurt pretty bad. She went off to help some mare and diamond dogs jumped them. The mare's _dead, _Twi! I'm getting together as many ponies as I can to go back and help. Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie, and Fluttershy took Winona and are tracking the ponynappers now. We've gotta catch up and help them! These Royal Guards will be a _big _help!"

"What? Diamond dogs? Sweetie Belle's hurt? A mare's _dead?_ Who was it?" Twilight asked in shock.

"I didn't recognize her." Rainbow Dash admitted. "She was silver with a lollipop cutie mark and bright blue mane. Whoever she was she was _tough_." Rainbow's face turned grim. "She killed a half dozen of them, Twilight. One wasn't much more than a red smear on the ground."

"_Killed?" _Twilight gasped. "Rainbow, ponies don't kill!"

"This one did." Rainbow said, shuddering. "She got six diamond dogs before they killed her so it must have been a huge pack. We gotta _go_, Twi! Sweetie Belle's in real trouble!"

"All right." Twilight said, forcing herself to block out the horror long enough to become a princess again. "Wing Commander, have your guards gather the strongest townsponies and go with Rainbow Dash."

"We can't leave you unguarded, Princess!" The pegasus stallion objected.

"She won't be, Wing Commander." Teelo spoke up. "Crush and I will be guarding her. Would _you _want to try attacking an alicorn guarded by me and Crush?"

"No, ma'am, I would not." He said fervently. "The pair of you could probably deal with a full grown dragon."

"It's all right, Wing Commander." Twilight said. "I'm coming with you. We're going to find Sweetie Belle, and we're going to get her back. Then we're going to arrest those ponynappers and make sure they never hurt anypony else."

"Yes, Your Highness." The guard snapped a salute, then turned and started bellowing orders.

"Do you want to stay here?" Teelo asked Emma as the guard rapidly organized the Ponyville citizens into an effective posse. "I think it might be safer since Søyle isn't here to guard you."

"I'm not letting you out of my sight," Emma said. "Besides, I don't know anybody here. I'd feel safer with you guys. It's a large group so I should be safe enough, right? And doesn't Twilight have crazy-strong magic?"

"They _killed_ somebody, Emma." Teelo said. "These guys aren't kidding around. When we find them I want you to find a shady spot. I'll have the Wing Commander assign a guard to watch you."

"I'm not helpless, you know." She said indignantly.

"Yes, you _are_." Teagan said somberly. "You don't have a weapon, you don't know how to fight, and these things murdered somebody. It may not be as bad as when Chrysalis ambushed us, but it's still plenty bad, Emma."

The other girl sighed. "Ok, ok, I'll keep my head down. Happy?"

"Milady, you should take this." A guard hoofed Emma a spear about six feet long. She grinned.

"Now _that's _what I'm talking about! You were saying?" She asked, leaning on the spear. Teagan sighed.

"Have you ever even _held_ a spear before?" She asked without much hope.

"No, but how hard can it be? You poke the bad guy with the sharp end, right?" Emma asked reasonably.

"Yeah." Teagan said, deflating. "Hand me that for a second, will you? I want to make sure you know how to keep somebody from taking it away from you."

Frowning, Emma gave her the spear. Teagan was by no means an expert but Matt had drilled her on most of the old time common weapons, including spears, so at least she could show Emma the basics.

She had Emma practice a few stabs, cautioned her not to overextend herself in a lunge, and to always use the spear in both hands.

"But above all, do _not_ get in a situation where you have to stab somebody. Because it's a _lot_ harder to make yourself do it than you'd think." She told her friend as they finally set out. "You won't want to, and that will make you hesitate. The other guy won't hesitate, he'll just kill you. _So don't give him the chance._ Stay out of the fight. Please_._"

Emma nodded. She was quiet now and no longer smiling.

The group headed toward the CMC clubhouse, Rainbow Dash leading the way. Twilight marched along, mind boiling with contingency plans.

In her shock and concern for Sweetie Belle's safety, Twilight had completely forgotten what brought her to Ponyville in the first place.

ooOoo

Spike launched a flame at the stooping Chrysalis, catching her full on. She exploded in a massive fireball, making the dragon roar in triumph—just before a hammer blow to the base of his left wing turned the triumph to enraged agony. He spun sideways in the air, the blow momentarily numbing his wing.

"Too slow, Spykoranuvellitar!" Her voice mocked him as the completely unharmed flutterpony curved upward, out of range. "You are powerful, but you lack perceptiveness! A _filly_ should have seen through that illusion!"

"So you have to resort to tricks, Your Majesty?" Spike roared back. "Is that all you have, smoke and mirrors?"

"Mirrors, you say?" The Queen laughed at him. "What a _marvelous _idea! What do you think of _this _trick?" The flutterpony plunged upward into the dark clouds above and suddenly a hundred flutterponies were diving at him, wings folded. Spike snorted in contempt and ceased his climb, letting them come to him. As soon as they were in range he spewed a cone of fire, catching most of the cluster of attackers as the cone swept sideways through the sky. Where the cone passed the ponies were simply gone.

"Too easy!" He shouted mockingly toward the clouds. "You didn't even dare face me yourself, did you? Coward!"

"It's called strategy, my dear Spykoranuvellitar. And I grow weary of your utter predictability." Her voice sounded right next to his head. He rolled one eye, finding her pacing him. Without pause his neck flexed, letting his head come around and his jaws snap shut with a loud snap—as his teeth plunged through yet another illusion.

With an ear-splitting _bang_ a massive lightning bolt struck the dragon without warning. Spike screamed in agony as the electricity played over and through him. The paralyzed dragon fell from the sky, muscles locked in an excruciating rictus as he lost control of his body.

A second bolt struck an instant later, even as a tornado caught the now unconscious dragon and tossed him around like a rag doll. But it did slow his fall to the point where the bruising impact didn't actually break any bones or pulp any internal organs.

Even as he skidded to a stop the tornado winds died down and Chrysalis appeared in a flash of light at his side.

"Now, my brave avenger let us see what you're _really_ made of." Her horn glowed green while an aura of black surrounded the unmoving dragon. "Oh, this is _interesting_," she murmured to herself. "So much magic, where did it all come from? And this isn't dragon magic either, no it is _not_."

Humming to herself the flutterpony cast another spell and studied the magic as it began boiling off the dragon like smoke from a fire. As the magical dissipation accelerated the unconscious dragon began to shrink and its color lightened.

By the time the smoke finally ceased she was left with a baby dragon no more than three feet long, colored bright purple and vivid green.

"I thought so." A smile came to her face as her eyes narrowed in calculation. "Oh, this is _too_ perfect for words! Princess Twilight Sparkle now owes me a huge favor! Celestia will just _love _that…"

A light hearted laugh filled the clearing as the flutterpony and baby dragon vanished in a flash of white light.

ooOoo

A piercing whistle caught Celestia's attention. She looked over to see Zecora rearing and waving both front hooves over her head. When she saw Celestia watching her she dropped to all fours and waved the alicorn toward her.

"Finally!" Celestia murmured as she stood up and vigorously shook herself. A cloud of blue powder flew from her coat. Coughing, the alicorn made her way back to the zebra.

"That was unpleasant." Celestia said as she stepped out of the patch. "Thank you for your help, Zecora, I would never have found this place without you."

Zecora's eyes were watering and her mouth twitched.

"Zecora? Is something wrong?" Celestia asked, raising her eyebrows.

"No…" the zebra wheezed, "…it is not so." Zecora turned away but not before Celestia saw her clamp her mouth firmly shut.

"There is something amiss, isn't there?" The alicorn sighed. "It's all right. I won't be angry. You did warn me, after all."

The zebra's head lowered and her shoulders started to shake. Alarmed now, Celestia stepped around to face the zebra, who refused to look at her as the shaking continued.

"Zecora, what's wrong?" Celestia asked again.

The zebra opened her mouth to answer and shocked Celestia by emitting a bray of laughter. The zebra collapsed in a seated position, tears running from her eyes as she laughed helplessly.

"Oh dear. Is it really that bad?" Celestia asked apprehensively. Zecora nodded, tried to restrain herself, and then lost it again. She pointed a hoof at Celestia's flank.

Celestia turned her head to see what Zecora was trying to tell her.

"That's—different." She said in a tone of mild interest, a thousand years of iron self-control the only thing keeping her from shrieking in absolute horror. But in the privacy of her own mind it was a different matter.

_M-m-my cutie mark! It's changed! _

That's when she noticed that _other _things had changed too…

ooOoo

After about an hour Winona led them to a bare rock outthrust from the cliff they found themselves atop. Winona approached the edge cautiously and whined.

"She says the scent ends here." Fluttershy reported. "But a dragon was here too." She shivered. "It was a full grown one."

"_What?_" Rarity screeched in fury. "What is this, a conspiracy? First two strange creatures are in league with diamond dogs and now a _dragon?_ What in Equestria is going on?"

"Winona says we only missed them by about fifteen minutes." Fluttershy said, trying to be helpful. But that only infuriated the unicorn more.

"A mere _fifteen minutes?_ If we had hurried just a bit more…" She suddenly collapsed and began to wail.

"And if we _had_ caught them? What then?" Cerise asked, snorting. "I'm good but even I can't handle a full grown dragon in the open."

"Ya didn't seem ta have no trouble wi' Tišina." Applejack noted, hugging Rarity, who huddled miserably against her friend, sobbing.

"It wasn't in the open like this. Her cave wasn't nearly big enough to let her fly. Besides, those portals in her lair half-blinded her." Cerise said casually. "She couldn't use her breath on me either, because of the portals but I could use them for cover. By the time I actually faced her she was so panicked she couldn't think clearly. It was a whole different ballgame."

"Oh. Well ain't you got a ton o' weird hoodoo powers an' such? Least ways sumthin' what would tell us where they took her?"

"Hoodoo powers?" Cerise laughed scornfully. "Well, yeah, actually I do. Not to mention Pinkie's got a bag of tricks you would not believe. But neither one of us can track a dragon through the sky. That's a job for Subtle Dancer's bunch."

"The Horns?" Rarity lifted red eyes hopefully. "They could find her? How?"

Cerise rolled her eyes. "Remember those compasses we used to find Tišina's lair? You don't actually need _blood_ to make one. Just something that came from her body. Hoof clippings, for instance."

Rarity's eyes lit up. "What about _hair?"_

"Sure." Cerise shrugged. "Well, it looks like I don't get to play with the bad guys after all, so if you don't mind I'm gonna get back to my _interrupted_ nap."

"We maybe could run into them diamond dogs." Applejack said thoughtfully. "Reckon they could tell us what the hay is goin' on. 'Course they might need a little _persuadin'_..."

"Why, Applejack! Are you actually asking for _my_ help?" Cerise teased. "I'm proud of you!"

Applejack looked down and pawed the earth halfheartedly. "Well, I ain't proud to admit it, but Sweetie Belle's in mighty deep trouble, right enough. Thought maybe you could scare 'em—a little. They ain't the bravest varmints, so it shouldn't take much. All _you'd_ have to do is look at 'em cross-eyed."

"Hmm. You know what else is scary?" Cerise asked, a slow smile spreading across her face as she watched Applejack. "_Pain_. Pain is scary." Applejack swallowed and couldn't suppress a little shiver. Fluttershy _eeeped_ and hid her face. Even Rarity looked uncertain.

"You mean, look at them like that?" Cerise asked innocently, tilting her head.

"Yeah." Applejack let out her suddenly pent up breath. "Yeah, that'll do it, sure as snow in the wintertime."

"I'll get you your answers, AJ." Cerise grinned again. "I never met anybody who wouldn't answer my questions—eventually. Shall we go?"

Regretting every step, the three ponies followed Pinkie's "houseguest" back toward Ponyville. Winona made sure Applejack was between her and Cerise the entire time.

Since they were under the trees not one of them noticed the subtle change in the sunlight.


	17. 17 Damnatio Memoriae

**Chapter 17 – Damnatio Memoriae**

_In which we learn if one attempts to erase a villain from history it is best to insure they can't take advantage of it._

* * *

Celestia blinked at the sight of her cutie mark. It was still a blazing sun—albeit one drawn by a five-year old. Although she _was_ forced to admit there was something whimsically compelling about the smiley face, even if the eyes weren't quite level, with a nose that wouldn't shame an elephant. The mouth had been drawn as though the face were laughing.

The elegant double-curved sunrays had been replaced by short stubby triangles that were unevenly spaced around the edge of the rather oblate circle that represented the sun's body.

The crudely drawn cutie mark nestled on a flank that was now a rich blue just a few shades darker than the sky. Her tail, once multi-colored and flowing in the ethereal solar wind was now bright white, and more closely resembled an ordinary pony's, although still extraordinarily long and luxurious.

With some trepidation Celestia cast a mirror spell, half expecting it to fail. To her immense relief the magic responded and a reflective surface formed in mid-air.

She studied herself ruefully, spreading her wings just to make sure.

"Well, it could have been worse, I suppose." She murmured quietly.

Her fur was now deep sky blue everywhere except her legs, which had four white socks that extended halfway from hock to hoof. Her mane was a golden yellow that, like her tail, no longer blew of its own accord—although it too would be the pride of any mare.

Her horn was still white, and a white blaze ran from her forehead to her muzzle. Her wings matched the blue of her coat but her _eyes—_she peered closer—her eyes now lacked an iris completely, leaving only an enlarged black pupil.

"Your Highness, while the color of your mane is golden, alas your _voice_ does laughs embolden." Zecora said, catching her breath. "For my mirth most unbecoming I beg your forgiveness, it was poison joke alone that inspired such business."

"My voice still sounds normal to me, Zecora." Celestia said, tilting her head and letting the mirror spell fade.

"Your old voice was a golden bell, your new one alas, a kazoo hell." Zecora said, a snicker escaping her despite iron control.

Celestia sighed. "I'd best go then. Thank you, Zecora. I look forward to speaking with you again once I've taken the cure."

Zecora collapsed, wheezing with the effort of containing helpless laughter. Bowing gracefully the alicorn disappeared in a flash, leaving the zebra free to bray her laughter across the Everfree.

ooOoo

Celestia reappeared beside her chariot. She smiled at the two guards that turned toward her.

"Gentlecolts, it's time we returned to Canterlot." She stepped on board the chariot, not noticing the fierce scowls that suddenly appeared on the faces of the two pegasi.

"Halt! How _dare_ you board the chariot of Princess Celestia! Dismount at once!" One of the pair barked, eyes narrowing. "Attempting to impersonate an alicorn is a criminal offense! You will be held until the Princess returns to deal with you!" The two pegasi launched themselves into the air, hovering aggressively over the stunned Celestia.

"Gold Feather! Sky Lancer! Don't you recognize your own princess?" Celestia demanded with wide eyes.

"Of course we do. She's _white_ to start with, not blue!" Sky Lancer growled. "Not to mention her mane and tail are a rainbow that blow in the wind only she feels! Now _stand down_ or we will use force!"

"Your father held your tenth birthday party in the palace garden, Sky Lancer!" Celestia retorted sharply. "He would never have asked me, so I had to ferret out your birthday wish from a chain of no less than _four_ different staff members! And _you_, Gold Feather, I _personally _approved your post as my charioteer! The chocolate truffle cake you sent as a token of thanks was delicious!"

The two pegasi paused, but kept glaring at her.

"What's the password for Princess Celestia's private chariot loft passage?" Gold Feather asked suddenly.

"Pink raspberry cloud." She replied promptly.

"And what's the secret ingredient for pink raspberry cloud?" Sky Lancer asked.

"Pineapple," Celestia replied with a smile, "which is why I can't have it as often as I'd like. Compass Rose pouts when I ask for one of her mares to bring some from Cervidas."

Gold Feather backed off, landing, and after a moment so did Sky Lancer.

"Forgive us, Your Highness." Gold Feather said, bowing his head. "We didn't recognize you. Your voice and coloration are so different. My apologies for—" He paused, searching for an acceptable term.

"Doing your duty?" Celestia asked sweetly. "While I admit my—temporary—appearance and altered voice made your confusion understandable, I was _not_ aware Equestria had any laws about impersonating an alicorn. If a unicorn ever did manage to impersonate myself or Luna then that would be usurpation, not impersonation, would it not?"

"It was a ruling passed by the Council after Chrysalis replaced Princess Cadence, Your Highness." Sky Lancer said, eye beginning to twitch.

"But surely a _new _alicorn no one recognizes—no, I must review that Council ruling. It would be—" She noticed Sky Lancer's eyes beginning to glaze over.

"It's the voice, isn't it?" She asked sadly. Not daring to look at each other the guards nodded once, sharply and then pointedly looked past her, refusing to meet her eyes.

"Gentlecolts, I appreciate your chivalry. Your stoicism is truly remarkable. However, my current—condition—is the result of a magical mishap. In twenty four hours I will return to my normal appearance. In the meantime I would appreciate your discretion. The fewer who know about this the less awkward it will be for everypony."

"Of course, Your Highness!" The two guards snapped a hoof across their breastplates in salute.

But they still couldn't meet her eyes.

"Where are the rest of the Sun Shield?" She asked, looking around in belated realization.

"Princess Sparkle ordered them to join the hunt for the abducted filly, Your Highness. We stayed behind to guard the Royal Chariot and await your return. There is further news as well. An adolescent dragon forced its way into the hospital and demanded to know where the changeling queen was. Reports are confused, but it appears a butterfly winged _alicorn_ intervened, and lead the dragon north, toward the White Tail woods."

Celestia blinked, processing what she'd been told. Then she sighed.

"I hope you're enjoying yourself Discord." She muttered.

"Did I hear my name?" Discord asked, appearing behind the guards, who spun and spread their wings in threat display. "Oh, will you two _relax?_ If dear Celly and I ever decided to have another serious fight there's squat the two of you could do about it." Discord sneered. He returned his gaze to the alicorn.

"I must say, Celestia, blue is _so _your color. And that golden mane is simply to _die _for!" He studied the annoyed princess. "Although, I admit the white tail is a bit over the top. Rarity would _not _approve."

"Enjoying the show?" She asked mildly, raising one eyebrow.

"Oh my, yes." He smiled. "And your socks are simply too cute for words! But aren't you a bit old for bobby-socks my dear Princess?"

"Oh, I don't know." She said coyly. "With this new look I could pass for 160, don't you think?" She winked at him, making him curl his lip in disgust.

"Now that's just _creepy." _He muttered, snapping his fingers and vanishing.

_Good riddance, _she thought to herself, relaxing. She normally enjoyed her little spars with Discord, but there were more important pressing matters.

"What's this about a ponynapped filly?" She asked. "Who was it? What do we know?"

"The Bearer of Loyalty raced into town, declaring the Bearer of Generosity's little sister had been taken by diamond dogs, Your Highness. She said the filly had been with an unknown mare when the two were attacked. She reported the mare is dead, along with six diamond dogs. She also reported the Bearer of Laughter said that the filly was severely injured, and would likely be injured further. It was then that Princess Sparkle landed with a wing of the Sun Shield, along with Lady Teagan and her friend from the other world."

"Oh no, _Sweetie Belle _was abducted? Rarity will be devastated." Celestia shook her head sadly. "Were any trolls with them?" She asked. Golden Feather shook his helmeted head.

"No, Your Highness. Princess Sparkle arrived in a single chariot."

A crease appeared on Celestia's brow as she considered the implications. A single chariot with a full wing of the Sun Shield implied both urgency and threat.

"Was Spike with Twilight?" She asked.

"No, Your Highness." Sky Lancer answered after Golden Feather didn't respond.

"Was Spike the dragon at the hospital?" The alicorn asked pensively.

"No. The dragon at the hospital was an adolescent, at least twenty feet long. Reports say it was feral." Golden Feather replied. "It _was_ purple, but a very dark shade, with forest green fins. It might have been a relative, but it certainly wasn't Spike."

"Are you looking for this?" A calm voice asked.

A butterfly-winged alicorn walked toward them, a sleeping baby dragon sprawled over her back, wrapped in a dimly glowing green aura to keep it in place. "My, that poison joke really did a number on you, didn't it?"

"Your Majesty." Celestia nodded in greeting. "It did, and I am indeed looking for him. How did you come to be giving Spike a ride?"

"So he _is_ Twilight's assistant." Her smile was gentle and friendly—until you looked at her eyes. "He came looking for me at the hospital. He said his name was Spykoranuvellitar. He was a bit miffed at me, it seems."

"Oh? What did he want?"

"To kill me." She said, chuckling. Spike lifted from her back and floated through the air, settling gently in front of Celestia.

Celestia couldn't help blinking in shock.

"_Spike _tried to kill you?" She looked at the tiny dragon as he curled up and started sucking his thumb.

"Oh yes. And truth be told, it wasn't a bad effort, all things considered. Of course he was a _bit_ larger at the time, I thought him to be about sixty years old or so." Chrysalis said offhandedly. "I have to admit I was badly out of practice. He nearly had me once or twice before I started taking him seriously."

"I see you did manage to defeat him without harming him. I thank you for that." Celestia said quietly.

"You don't blame the hammer for hitting your hoof, Celestia. I didn't actually realize who he was at first." Chrysalis admitted. "It wasn't until he told me he was Twilight's research assistant that the curtain opened. She must have poured an _enormous_ amount of power into his transformation. It was very impressive."

"Twilight wouldn't do that." Celestia said with a frown.

"Really? It was _alicorn magic_, Celestia. _Dark_ alicorn magic. Your precious little student learned her lessons well. Spike told me he wanted me dead because I tried to kill Lady Teagan—who is a _good _friend of Twilight Sparkle, is she not?"

"Twilight would _never_ put Spike in harm's way like that." Celestia objected mildly. "Nor would she use dark magic as a weapon. But even if she were so broken as to seek your life with dark magic, she'd come after you herself. She'd never risk Spike's life."

"We both know how corrupting dark magic can be, _cousin_." Chrysalis snarled. "Your own sister fell under its evil influence."

"She was possessed by the demon Nightmare at the time," Celestia said firmly, "If Twilight were possessed I would know it. There is no taint in her."

"And I know dark alicorn magic when I see it, Celestia! Do you deny knowing how to use it? Do you deny teaching it to her?"

"No." Celestia said calmly. "She needed it to defeat Sombra. But she knows its dangers. And she did not use it on Spike, this I know, as surely as I know how to raise the Sun."

"I boiled it off him, Celestia! I may be out of practice, but you _never_ forget that stench. It was dark alicorn magic. Are you suggesting there's yet _another _alicorn lurking in the wings? They do seem to be popping up like daises recently."

"To my knowledge there are only four—five if we count you."

Chrysalis laughed. "I'm not an alicorn, silly Princess. Just because I have wings and a horn doesn't make me one of your Awakened ponies. We were never part of your Great Spell. But, for now I will accept your word that you know of no other alicorns."

"Will you lend your aid to find a ponynapped filly?" Celestia asked. "She's badly hurt, and could die."

"Then you will know the pain of losing one of your children." Chrysalis said coldly. "I have sworn not to seek revenge on you or Equestria but that doesn't mean I will aid you or other ponies. Tell Twilight Sparkle she owes me a huge favor. And that one day I _will _collect."

With that the flutterpony queen teleported away in a flash of light.

ooOoo

Members of the Sun Shield found the returning searchers by spotting Fluttershy flying above the trees. When she spotted the guard ponies she began frantically signaling them to come to her, and when they did she led them to Rarity and the others. The guards in turn led the small group back to the larger one.

"Twilight! Am Ah ever glad ta see you!" Applejack called out. "Hey, Teelo, mighty happy ta see you too! We might be needin' that club o' yours right quick 'cause we done got us a _major_ situation goin' on. Them diamond dogs weren't workin' alone! Winona told Fluttershy there was some kinda big critter with 'em, at least as big as a bear. It knocked Sweetie Belle plumb off her hooves an' six feet through the air! She also said there was another critter what used magic but weren't no unicorn. That ain't the worst of it, neither! Winona tracked 'em fer about an hour till we ended up on top of a cliff. Looks like they met up wi' a dragon. It musta been in cahoots with 'em, cause it carried 'em off all off, along with Sweetie Belle. We just missed 'em too. What ever's goin' on, it's gotta be mighty big. I reckon Princess Celestia's gonna wanna know about this as quick as may be."

"Twilight, we must hurry!" Rarity started to cry. "There's very little time. Pinkie says she's badly hurt! And then Cerise told us the Horns could track my sister the same way they did Tišina."

"Wait, _Cerise_ told you?" Twilight asked, wings flaring in alarm. "When did _she _show up?"

"I love you too, Twilight," the pink flat-haired pony spoke up. "Rarity had Pinkie invite me to the party, thank you very much! I was sound asleep until those plot holes made Pinkie cry. I may not be all nicey-nice like you ponies, but _nobody_ gets away with making Pinkie cry. On top of that, it pisses me off when somebody messes with fillies. I stuck around just in case a diamond dog tried something stupid so I could get some answers. But it looks like the wretched things were smart enough to run off."

"Hello, Cerise." Twilight said with a sickly sweet and completely insincere smile pasted across her muzzle. "Any chance Pinkie will be coming back soon? We'll need her if we have to use the Elements of Harmony."

Cerise chuckled. "Translation, you want creepy little Cerise snuggled back under the covers of her warm comfy bed, snoring away." She grinned at Twilight, who had the grace to blush.

"Don't get your crown in a twist, Princess. Pinkie's awake and listening, so I'm gonna go catch forty winks. But I'll be sure to set my alarm clock because I want a piece of those plot holes. I'm gonna teach them not to mess with little foals. Anyway, here's Pinkie."

"Hey, Twilight." The pink mare said sadly after a subtle but unmistakable change in her appearance.

"Pinkie?" Twilight asked cautiously. The other pony nodded.

"Yeah, it's me. We couldn't find her, Twilight." Tears started to slowly trail down Pinkie's cheeks. "Winona found the spot, but we were too late. Poor Sweetie." Pinkie closed her eyes and started to sob softly.

The sight unnerved Twilight, who'd never seen her friend look so utterly crushed. This wasn't Pinkie's normal over the top water-works. This was a pony that was truly heartsick. She gathered Pinkie in for a hug.

"We have to hurry, Twilight." Pinkie whispered. "There isn't much time. My Pinkie Sense is _screaming_."

Twilight's irises contracted sharply. Although she had long ago given up trying to explain Pinkie's twitches she knew she dared not dismiss them—especially not when the relentlessly upbeat pony was reduced to _this._

No one paid any attention to Winona as she prowled restlessly, hackles raised and sniffing uneasily. They were too busy concentrating on Pinkie and Twilight. Which is why Winona's growling snarl made everyone jump, especially Emma and Teagan—at whom the dog was barking viciously.

"Winona! What in tarnation's gotten inta you, girl?" Applejack hollered. "That's just Teelo, you know her! Why are ya actin' all crazy like that? Hush up!"

"She says they have the big creature's smell on them." Fluttershy said nervously. "She says it's faint, but Teelo and Emma must have been around some of those creatures recently. Within the last half day."

"But the only non-ponies we've been with were the—" Teagan started to say, but then stopped her eyes widening. "Oh no. Oh _God _no_._ It can't be."

"What?" Twilight asked, alarmed.

"That creature that attacked Sweetie Belle must have been a _troll_." Teagan said numbly. Having seen what troll claws could do to a living creature, the thought of those claws ripping into Sweetie Belle made Teagan s stomach rebel. She felt her belly muscles clench and tasted acid in the back of her throat. She fought it down.

_Can't lose control, I'm a _queen_, damn it! But oh God, why a **troll**? Everything was going so smoothly, this is going to—_

"A troll? I _knew _you couldn't trust them!" A stallion said, making Teagan's head snap up to stare at him.

_Yeah that, _she thought, trying to remember all the advice Matt had given her about handling this kind of situation.

She stalked toward him exuding as much menace as she could generate—which, when she thought of Sweetie Belle, was quite a bit. The stallion watched her come toward him with some puzzlement.

"What's your name?" She asked in a calm level tone, stopping just within arm's length of him.

"Cherry Fizzy, Lady Teagan." He said, dipping his head respectfully.

"So you know who I am?"

"Naturally! Everypony knows who _you_ are!" The light tan pony seemed oblivious to the subtle signs of her anger. However, other ponies _were _picking up on it. They started easing away from Cherry Fizzy. He didn't notice.

"So if I tell you something, you'd believe me?" She stared deeply into his bright green eyes. "Promise? _Pinkie_ promse?"

"I promise." He recited the oath. "By the way, it's an _honor_ to speak with you!"

"I'm very happy to hear you say that." She said, letting a faint smile touch her lips. Inside, she was raging at the stupid bigotry of this stallion, but somehow kept it from showing on her face.

"What I'm about to tell you is so incredibly important I need you to tell everypony you know about it. Would you do that for me?" She let her smile widen and turn warm. But the warmth never reached her eyes.

Cherry Fizzy swelled with pride. "Yes, absolutely! You can count on me!"

"That's wonderful! Then here's what I want you to tell everypony. My full name is Teagan Laoise, Scion of the Clan O'Gara. By the grace of Her Royal Highness, the Princess Celestia, I am known in Equestria as Lady Teagan. Which means _everypony_ they are literally a member of my family."

She reached out and placed her hand under his mane, feeling his warm neck twitch under her fingers. "That means _you_ are a member of my family, Cherry. So is Sweetie Belle. Do you believe me?"

Wide-eyed and awed the pony nodded, almost hypnotized as she kept her eyes locked to his.

"I have another name too. Do you know what it is?"

He shook his head slowly.

"I am Teagan, Dronning av Fjellet, the Queen of the Mountain. I am the _queen of the trolls_, Cherry Fizzy."

He looked puzzled for a moment, then Teagan saw him stiffen and his irises shrink slowly as the true horror of what she'd just said seeped into every corner of his stunned and reeling mind.

"By troll law, I am a _troll_," she said softly, her fingers tightening in his mane, "which means the trolls are _also _my family. That means trolls are part of _your_ family too, Cherry Fizzy."

She relaxed her grip on his mane, letting her hand drop to her side.

"You said you'd believe what I told you. So hear my oath to all of Equestria. Whoever this troll might be, male or female, whether clan or outcast, by their own hand they are _foresworn_ this day. As the queen of the trolls I hereby cast them into the Deepest Dark, and swear to find them and make sure they can never harm anyone ever again."

"_Look at me_." She snapped suddenly. He jerked and his eyes focused from sheer reflex.

"You say trolls can't be trusted?" She asked calmly. "Well, _I _am a troll, Cherry Fizzy. You said you trusted me. That's what I want you to tell everypony. I am a troll and I _can_ be trusted. I am the _queen_ of the trolls. I will find this renegade and I will _end _him. You tell everypony that."

She turned and walked back to where Twilight stood, the shocked silence broken only by wind in the treetops.

ooOoo

It took forty minutes for Twilight's party to make its way back to Ponyville. By the time they arrived yet another wing of guards had landed, along with a half dozen chariots. Unicorns bearing the crest of Celestia's Horns had set up a canopy and Celestia herself was in consultation with two of them. Others were pairing off with gray unicorn guards and large earth pony guards, clearly readying for an expedition of some kind.

"Princess Celestia!" Twilight called, spotting her mentor's unmistakable silhouette as she and her friends hurried toward the canopy. Then she got a _good _look at Celestia.

"Hello, Twilight." The alicorn gave her former student a brief smile. "I'm aware that Sweetie Belle was ponynapped. I contacted Luna and had her send a forensic team and a platoon of shock troops."

"What _happened _to you?_"_ Twilight asked, flabbergasted by the alicorn's bizarre appearance.

"It's a long story, I'll tell you over dinner. I'm sure you remember Dawn Spire?" The alicorn dipped her head at the pale pink unicorn with a mane and tail of bright gold. "And this is her colleague Fairy Shimmer." A pale turquoise unicorn with a black and silver mane nodded in greeting.

"Pardon me, but I was told if you had some of Sweetie Belle's hair you could make a compass like the ones that found Tišina." Rarity said with some urgency.

"Hair _would_ work…" Dawn Spire said slowly. "Blood would give us the strongest signal, but hair or hoof clippings will let us find her if she's within a hundred miles or so. Any further than that would need blood."

"How much hair do you need?" Rarity asked eagerly.

"Just a couple of strands." Dawn Spire replied. "But bring as much as you can find because we'll want to make more than one compass for that triangulation trick Matt showed us."

"Twilight, would you be a dear and teleport us to the Boutique?" Rarity asked. "Time is of the essence!" Twilight nodded and the two of them vanished.

"Your Highness, we need to talk privately." Teagan said. "There's some news you need to hear."

"Of course." Celestia said. "I too have news."

The two moved off far enough to speak without being overhead.

"What have you learned?" Celestia asked, keeping her voice low.

"Something freaking _huge_ is going down." Teagan said grimly. "Chrysalis's attack was only part of it. The diamond dogs were working with a _troll_. Not only that, but also some kind of magic user that wasn't a unicorn, at least according to Winona. Also, when we were in Twilight's office, Spike went berserk, and started growing. When he jumped out the window he was already ten feet long and had wings. He was coming to Ponyville to kill Chrysalis. Twilight said that kind of transformation wasn't natural. She said it took a lot of magic—and then mentioned that she had used a spell to talk to my parents on Earth. She said the spell should have taken, um, microthaums?" She said, stumbling over the unfamiliar word. Celestia nodded and she continued.

"But instead it took kilothaums, which I guess is a _lot_ more. She said it must have been a magical catalyst of some kind."

Celestia's head jerked in surprise. "A catalyst? That would explain what Chrysalis told me. Spike challenged Chrysalis to a duel. When she defeated him she boiled off the transformation magic, making him revert to normal. She claimed it was dark alicorn magic. A catalyst could have transformed the energy from Twilight's spell into the dark magic. That would explain Spike's murderous rage."

"Yeah, it makes sense. I'm betting this kidnapping wasn't random, either." Teagan said. "Too many resources went into it. They wanted Sweetie Belle in particular."

"Why? She's just a foal. Her magic hasn't manifested yet." Celestia objected.

"True—but they didn't want her for her magic. They wanted her as leverage. If Rarity doesn't do what they say they'll torture Sweetie Belle. Or kill her."

Celestia shivered. "That sounds like something Matthew would think of."

"It's kind of standard bad-guy tactic among humans." Teagan said, shocking Celestia.

"Humans do that?" Celestia's face was carefully neutral.

"Evil ones do, yes." Teagan replied. "I'm guessing the goal here would be twofold. First, without Rarity the Elements of Harmony are useless. Given how vicious these guys are, if that's all they wanted they could have gone after Fluttershy, since she'd be the most vulnerable. Since they didn't, I'm thinking they wanted Rarity to spy for them too. After all she's best friends with _Princess_ Twilight Sparkle."

"Lady Teelo, I am very fond of you, and I owe you my life." Celestia said carefully. "But it is truly disturbing how easily you can spin such vile plots so effortlessly."

Teagan chuckled. "Humans have a saying, Your Highness. _Use a thief to catch a thief_. I'm thinking Subtle Dancer is no stranger to evil plotting. And neither are you."

"Sometimes one must contemplate evil." Celestia admitted reluctantly. "But I have always found it difficult."

"Says the consumate chess master." Teagan said, smiling at the alicorn. "You're always ten moves ahead of everyone else, Princess. I barely manage one on a good day."

"I simply try to create the best outcome for the largest number," The alicorn said, smiling, "which _seldom_ involves violence. It also doesn't hurt that I've had a lot of practice."

"True that. At any rate, I'm thinking we're looking at a conspiracy here." Teagan said. "Well organized and frighteningly well informed. Somebody tipped off Chrysalis. Somebody planted that catalyst in Twilight's office. Somebody organized a very effective kidnapping team composed of at least three species, maybe more. That implies a good spy network, serious financial resources, meticulous planning…I'm thinking a well-funded secret society. Worse, I'm betting they've got agents in more than one country—_probably _with high level government contacts."

"Ponies would be ill-suited to such plotting." Celestia said, frowning. "I could see a handful involved but you're talking about a massive organization, Teelo."

"You think I'm wrong?" Teagan asked.

Celestia thought about it, and then sighed.

"I cannot say it's impossible. It would fit the facts as we know them. If this were the Gryphon Kingdoms it would not surprise me, griffins love intrigue and plotting. Even the minotaurs are quite adept. But not ponies."

"So—what? Maybe another country is setting up Equestria for conquest? Chrysalis tried that, remember?" Teagan reminded her.

"Chrysalis swore a magical oath to forgo her vengeance. She has no love for us, but cannot attack us." Celestia replied confidently. "Over the centuries there have been many who tried to conquer Equestria. But such attempts were always invasions, not this sneaky striking from the shadows. Of course Tišina struck from the shadows but she was always a solitary creature."

"Well, whoever this is overplayed their hand." Teagan said. "I have a feeling they didn't expect such a massive response to the kidnapping of one single foal from a small rural town. They couldn't expect that you'd get personally involved, especially not this quickly."

"I would like to think I would do the same for any foal, Lady Teelo." Celestia sighed heavily and lowered her head. "But the truth is I simply have too much to do and not enough hours in the day to get it all done. But Sweetie Belle makes it personal."

"I can see that." Teagan said, nodding. "By the way, you should know I'm planning to go with your soldiers to get Sweetie Belle back."

"You can't." Celestia shook her head. "Just as I can't. You have responsibilities waiting for you in Canterlot. If something were to happen to you, it would mean war. I can't risk that, certainly not with some nefarious plot lurking in the darkness."

Teagan paused, feeling her temper flare. She took a breath to calm herself.

"With all due respect, _cousin,_" she said carefully, "one of the kidnappers is a renegade troll. I'm still new to the whole queen business, but I know enough troll law to know I am oath bound to deal with him. I gave my word."

"Oh, dear." Celestia said with a wince. "You really shouldn't have done that."

"Yes, well, I did it. In fact, I did it in front of two wings of the Sun Shield and half of Ponyville. To keep the anti-troll bigotry down to a dull roar I even made Cherry Fizzy swear a Pinkie Promise to tell everyone about it too."

Celestia sighed. "What was that ancient human curse? May you live in interesting times?"

Teelo grimaced. "Yeah, well personally I could stand some boredom in my life. I'm about all funned out."

By unspoken agreement the two rulers started walking back to the canopy, where Rarity and Twilight had returned and were now deep in discussion with Dawn Spire and Fairy Shimmer.

They had a filly to rescue.


	18. 18 Mettle

**Chapter 18 – Mettle**

_In which proof is demanded, secrets are shared, messages are delivered, and tests are undertaken._

* * *

Celestia and Teagan joined the group under the canopy. A coolly professional Dawn Spire turned her attention to the newcomers.

"Your Highness, Rarity brought us enough of Sweetie Belle's hair to make two compasses. Given our time constraints they'll be crude, but we should have a target by the time Rolling Thunder is ready to go."

"Rolling Thunder?" Teagan asked, raising an eyebrow. Celestia winced.

"Military ponies enjoy naming their units, Lady Teelo. Rolling Thunder is the name of this particular platoon. They tell me it's from the sound they make while charging."

"Let's hope they're more effective than the military operation on my world that bore that name." Teagan replied. "Matt is forever drilling strategy and tactics into my head. You know—what works and what doesn't. Our world's _Rolling Thunder_ was nothing but an object lesson showing why politicians shouldn't command military operations."

"I see." Celestia said, a faint smile gracing her muzzle. "I trust you'll keep that in mind when you accompany the platoon?"

Teagan nodded. "I have no illusions about commanding the mission, Your Highness. That's not my forte. The only reason I'm going is to take care of a certain renegade troll. I'll be more than happy to let the platoon commander call the shots. Getting Sweetie Belle back is the primary objective."

"And if it comes down to a choice between fulfilling your oath and saving the foal?" Celestia asked gently.

Teagan snorted. "What do you think? Save Sweetie Belle, of course! But from what I know of trolls he won't hesitate to attack us—and when he does…" She shrugged. "Problem solved."

"You speak so lightly, Lady Teelo." Celestia said seriously. "The last time this choice arose, you declined—eventually. Why is now any different?"

"I know what troll claws can do to living flesh, Princess." Teagan said quietly. "That troll hit her hard enough to send her flying _six_ _feet_ before she hit the ground. He could have killed her. We still don't know how badly she's injured. Doing that to a filly? There is _no_ excuse."

"The only creature who can't be redeemed is one who is already dead." Celestia said, her face calm but her words holding just a hint of pleading. "I would not have you walk Sun Hammer's road, Lady Teelo."

"Too late for that." Teagan said quietly. "I'm further down that road than Sun Hammer ever went."

"I see." Celestia closed her eyes for a moment. "I truly hope you find your way back, cousin. Otherwise I would have to mourn for you, as I would for any of my little ponies. I would hate that."

Teagan felt a chill as Celestia's control  
slipped for just a moment and allowed a sliver of pain to slip into her voice.

"I'll do my best, cousin." Teagan bowed deeply to Celestia. "You have my word."

Celestia smiled. "The word of the _Dronning av Fjellet _is no small thing. And now, I must return to the Palace. Twilight, I would like to take Spike back to Canterlot with me to recover. I trust you will be able to manage here?"

"Of course, Princess." Twilight said. "With both the Horns and the Hooves here I'm confident we'll get Sweetie Belle back in no time. Oh! Would you relay a message to Professor Nimbus for me? Tell him I know why the _T__airseach U__rlabhra _spell took so much power. It was caused by a magical catalyst. Now that we know that I won't need him for research after all."

Celestia nodded and turned to go.

"Your Highness? Could I impose on you to give Emma a ride back to Canterlot?" Teagan asked.

"Hey! I'm going with you! Not letting you out of my sight, remember?" Emma protested.

"You'd just be in the way." Teagan said bluntly. "You could get Sweetie Belle killed. You want to risk that?"

"Of course not!" Emma denied hotly.

"I'd be delighted to have Emma ride with me, Lady Teelo." Princess Celestia interjected smoothly. "I've been looking forward to speaking with her and this would be the perfect opportunity. Emma, I would consider it a personal favor if we could converse."

Emma wilted under the gentle gaze of the Princess. "That's _completely_ unfair, you know." She said to Teagan. "How can I say no when a princess asks me for a favor_?_ Thank you, Your Highness. I'll be _happy_," she glared at Teagan, "to talk with you."

"Oh, and Emma? Could you tell Søyle what's going on?" Teagan asked. "Looks like I may be late for dinner."

"I'll tell her. You be careful, ok?" Emma hugged her friend, who returned it tightly.

"Yeah yeah, it's just another day at the office," Teagan said, breaking the hug. "I'll see you as soon as I can."

As Celestia and Emma boarded the chariot Teagan and Twilight walked toward the platoon commander. Rarity stayed behind to watch the compasses being made, but the other members of the Mane 6 accompanied them.

"You really made Wing Commander Stormwind angry with you." Twilight said with a little giggle. "I could hear him swearing as he talked to the platoon commander—and they were on the other side of the town square."

"Yeah, well I did come down pretty hard on him." Teagan admitted. "I probably deserved every single name he called me, too. Wonder if he's poisoned the platoon commander against me?"

"You're about to find out." Rainbow Dash snickered.

The platoon commander was nearly as large as Sun Hammer or Applejack's brother, a massive earth pony that weighed well over a thousand pounds. Like the other guards he was white, with a gray-blue tail. His helmet was sitting on the table in front of a mass of notes. A grey unicorn was speaking to him as they approached. He looked up and his face went that special kind of blank officers wore around brass they dared not offend.

_Yep, probably cyanide, _Teagan thought with a sigh. This was not going to be fun.

"Princess Sparkle, Lady Teagan." The commander's voice was cool and neutrally polite.

"Hello, Commander." Twilight bobbed her head, smiling widely. "Teelo, may I introduce Heavy Hoof, platoon commander of Rolling Thunder."

"Commander Hoof." Teagan bowed. "I've come to offer my assistance in rescuing Sweetie Belle."

"With all due respect, Lady Teagan, I'm not sure what assistance you could offer." Heavy Hoof said carefully. "We're an integrated heavy combat unit, trained to fight together. Every member of the platoon knows their role. An outsider, no disrespect intended, would be a distraction, and perhaps a danger to themselves and my ponies."

"At the very least I can offer you information on the enemy." Teagan said mildly. She knew the commander had a point, Matt had told her a lot of stories about the difficulties of introducing new elements to a trained team.

"You know what we're up against?" Heavy Hoof asked with sudden intensity.

"I know there is a full grown dragon involved." She said. "I also know there is a troll, and a magic-user of unknown species. The kidnappers are part of a larger organization, one with considerable intelligence assets and funding. They may even be aware that you're coming."

"That complicates things," he frowned, "Thank you. You may have saved many pony lives today, Lady Teagan. Now, if you'll excuse me I'm extremely busy. This new information merits study and we don't have a lot of time."

"I'll be going with you." Teagan said, knowing it was exactly the wrong thing to say.

"Excuse me?" His blank stare held just a touch of chill.

"I _said_ I'll be going with you. That renegade troll is almost as big a threat to your platoon as the dragon. As queen of the trolls it falls to me to deal with him."

"Ah. Well, Your Majesty, my platoon is more than capable of dealing with a single troll. Placing you at risk would not be in Equestria's best interest, so I must respectfully decline your offer to accompany us."

"I'm afraid you misunderstand, Commander. It wasn't an offer. This is a matter of state between Equestria and the World Below. A renegade troll has attacked a filly. That is a matter of _grave_ concern to the World Below. The ponies must see that the trolls will not tolerate such actions and will act aggressively and effectively to protect our allies from renegades."

"Politics." He said. The word dripped scorn and loathing. Teagan smiled.

"Yes Commander, politics. But in this case, I do have a personal stake. Ponies are family, part of my clan. So are the trolls. Which means this renegade _hurt a member of my family_. I won't forgive that."

She stared at him—letting him hear the depth of her anger, see the rage in her eyes. He studied her for a long moment.

"How do I know you're not going to get yourself killed if you come along? Or worse, get one of my ponies killed trying to protect you? I saw you fight Discord. I can't say I was impressed."

Teagan relaxed. "A fair question, Commander. When I fought Discord I _sucked_. That victory was nothing but charity from the Goddess of Luck and I freely admit it. But I've spent the last year and a half learning how to fight. I'm _much_ better now. Didn't Stormwind tell you what happened when Chrysalis ambushed us?"

"Something about you growing wings, then slaughtering Chrysalis and her guards. He was too busy explaining how you blackmailed him into obeying you and how you were doing your best to get his wing killed to go into much detail about your fighting ability." Heavy Hoof actually smiled at her.

"And they say Royal guards have no sense of humor." Teagan chuckled, before growing serious. "I _thought_ I killed Chrysalis, and I did kill three of her guards. _Nasty_ things, they went six kinds of insane when she went down. I've never seen anything like it. Almost like army ants."

"Army ants?" Heavy Hoof raised an eyebrow. "Never heard of them."

"Consider yourself lucky. Once we get Sweetie Belle back I'll tell you about army ants—if you _really_ want to know." Teagan shuddered.

"Well, that still leaves me wondering whether you're as good as you think you are." He said. "Would you be willing to spar with one of my troopers? A _serious_ spar? No bone breaking of course, but no holding back either."

"Uh, Teelo that maybe isn't such a good idea." Twilight spoke up suddenly. "The Hooves play pretty rough. You could get hurt even in a spar."

Teagan shrugged. "They're about the weight of a troll, Twilight. And nowhere near as dangerous. I'll be fine."

Heavy Hoof raised an eyebrow again. "Meteor Swarm, would you be kind enough to tell Stomper Her Majesty would like to spar?"

"My pleasure." The unicorn have Teagan a grin that made her wonder if this was such a good idea after all...

ooOoo

As the chariot rumbled over the ground Emma looked for something to grab onto. Celestia's chariot was basically a padded flat deck with curving upright back. There was a low wind break in front, with the sleeping Spike tucked under it, but Emma and Celestia sat exposed to the air.

Emma whimpered and closed her eyes, only to feel the wind suddenly stop. Surprised she opened her eyes to find a golden glow doming the open chariot that matched the glow around Celestia's horn. The girl reached out experimentally and poked the field, which responded with a ringing noise.

"I won't let you fall, Emma." Celestia's voice was warm and gentle. "I love to feel the wind roaring past, but it makes it nearly impossible to hold a conversation."

The alicorn giggled. "Not that I normally have anyone to speak to on these flights." She winked. "So, tell me. How did you and Lady Teelo first meet?"

"Oh, we've known each other forever." Emma said, smiling. "I think we met in kindergarten. Or was it preschool? Anyway, we've been like sisters ever since. Even if she _did_ keep you guys a secret from me."

"Would you have told her if your positions had been reversed?" Celestia asked, watching Emma mildly.

"Of _course,_" Emma said, and then paused. "Well, it might have taken a while to figure out how—you know, with the cartoon and all…" She paused again. "Um, you know about the cartoon, right?"

"Evelyn Lewis explained it to me. She said it was a kind of play, made of many drawings that when seen in quick succession give the illusion of movement." Celestia said. "They show Twilight's life in Ponyville for the last few years."

Emma nodded. "Yeah, that's right. Thing is, the cartoon is aimed at little girls, maybe 9 or 10 years old. Um, I guess you'd call them fillies if they were ponies."

Celestia's eyebrows rose. "But Evelyn Lewis is no filly! She was a full grown mare, yet called herself a pegasister. She said there were many stallion friends of Equestria in your world that call themselves bronies. Well, I suppose the proper terms would be _women _and _men _for humans."

Emma snickered.

Celestia frowned. "Did I say something funny?"

Emma fought to keep a straight face. "Oh, bronies are _everywhere_ these days, Your Highness. But—well, most people make fun of them."

"Why?" Celestia asked, perplexed.

"Because they like a cartoon for little girls?" Emma asked, raising her eyebrows. "It's kind of creepy."

"Why?" Celestia asked again, trying to understand.

"Uh—well, you know. If they like something like that it means they're still childish, they haven't grown up."

"I see." Celestia said after a moment. "If a play about our world seems childish to humans, then I shudder to think how frightening your world must truly be. Matthew spoke of the weapons your race created and the terrible wars humans have waged. I do not think I would enjoy living in your world. How do you cope, Emma? Humans must be very brave indeed."

"Uh—it's not that bad, really." Emma said. "I mean, some places, yeah, they're really dangerous. But not where I live. I mean, it seems like _this_ world is _way_ more dangerous than mine. I've not been here a full day and I was in a _battle_ for God's sake! There were creatures actually trying to kill me! That never happened at home. _Ever_. Teelo warned me Equestria was dangerous. I guess I should have believed her."

"Why didn't you? I've always found her to be very honest." Celestia said in surpise.

"Well, it's a land filled with little brightly colored singing and dancing ponies." Emma said. "That doesn't exactly scream _Danger, Will Robinson!_ You know?"

"Who is Will Robinson, and why was he in danger?" Celestia asked with a smile, making Emma giggle.

"Sorry, just a silly human expression. Anyway, what I mean is I guess I owe bronies an apology. And when I get home I'm gonna watch every single episode of _My Little Pony_. Just so I'll understand what's been going on."

"Are you sorry you came?" Celestia asked lightly.

"Well, I could have done without the whole ambush thing." Emma admitted ruefully. "But being here is simply _amazing_. I mean I've met _unicorns!_ And pegasi! And ponies that can talk. Not to mention at least two _gods_."

"Two?" Celestia asked, startled. "Who?"

"Well, Discord's the god of chaos, right? From what Teelo told me he's actually an Elder God, right out of some creepy guy's horror stories. And then there's you, of course."

"Emma, I'm not a god." Celestia said gently, shaking her head. "I've lived a very long time and I have a great deal of magic but I'm not a goddess."

"Uh, really? Because from where I'm sitting you tick all the right boxes. Your ponies worship you, you raise and lower the sun, you're immortal, and you've got enough magic to flatten a mountain. Teelo said you blew a hundred foot wide crater in solid rock when you fought Tišina."

"Oh dear. I see how it might look when you put it that way. But you must understand, Emma," Celestia said, apologetically. "While my sister and I have been alive since ponies first came to Equestria, we were carried over the Bridge of Days in our mother's womb, and were the first ponies actually born in Equestria. We were just normal ponies then, no different from the others. We had a bit more magical affinity, but nothing to hint we were special."

"As we grew up we found we had a natural link to the sun and moon. At first it was just a fascination, and magic that touched on the sun or the moon came easily to us. It wasn't until I was in my twenties that my magical studies uncovered the Great Spell."

"So casting that turned you into this?" Emma asked, waving her hand up and down at Celestia's horn and wings. "Well, not the blue I mean." She said quickly.

"No, I did the blue today." Celestia said with a wink. "Do you like it? As I was saying Luna and I were the hub of the Great Spell, which turned the ponies that came over the Bridge into the Three Tribes you see today. My sister and I became alicorns, a side effect of being the hub of the spell."

Celestia turned solemn.

"But neither Luna nor I are goddesses, Emma. Just very powerful, and very old. I don't claim to be immortal. It _is_ true I raise and lower the sun, but a large enough group of powerful unicorns who knew the proper spells could do the same thing. As for my little ponies worshipping me—well frankly it makes me uncomfortable. I don't forbid it because sometimes they need that little extra bit of comfort to make it through tough times. Who am I to deny them that?"

"Wow." Emma said quietly. "I'm going to guess it's been a long time since you told this to anybody. Thank you, Princess."

"You're very welcome." Celestia smiled warmly. "But let's keep this conversation between just the two of us, all right? Call it my gift to you. A secret you can keep from Lady Teelo, the same way she kept Equestria a secret from you."

"I promise." Emma said solemnly. "I'll never tell _anyone_ what you just told me. In fact, what was that weird thing the mayor did? Something about sticking a cupcake in her eye? I promise like that."

Celestia laughed. "It's called a _Pinkie Promise_. Dear Pinkamena gets very—_intense_—if someone breaks a Pinkie Promise. It's become quite famous, in fact. So the citizens of Ponyville use it for their most solemn promises. Pinkie always seems to know when someone makes a Pinkie Promise, and she goes out of her way to make sure they keep it."

"So how does it go again?" Emma asked. Celestia led her through the silly rhyme and the associated motions, which the teenager dutifully repeated.

When they were done she smiled at the alicorn.

"There. Your secret's safe with me! Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Of course. I might even answer." Celestia winked.

"Well, does royalty have some kind of secret language or something?"

"Secret language?" Celestia asked in genuine puzzlement. "No, there's nothing like that. Why you do you ask?"

"Well, it's just when you and Teelo talk to each other it's like there's this whole other conversation going on underneath. I don't know what you're saying but I can feel it."

"Go on." Celestia said, leaning slightly toward her guest.

"Well, I notice you _usually_ call her Lady Teelo." Emma said. "But other times you call her cousin, or Lady Teagan or even Your Majesty. Teelo seems to understand you, because she does it to you too, so I _know_ it isn't random. But I can't figure it out."

Celestia's smiled widely.

"I must congratulate you, Emma. That's a very astute observation. And you're right, it isn't random. You see, everypony has more than one relationship to another pony—in fact they can have several. For example, Lady Teelo and I actually _are_ cousins, for reasons that are too complex to explain easily."

"Teagan already explained." Emma said. "Ponies are one third human, descended from Clan O'Gara, right?"

"_Very_ good." Celestia said approvingly. "You do understand. But she is not _just_ my cousin. She is also a Hero of Equestria, the scion of Clan O'Gara, queen of the trolls, and my good friend. Thus she has many relationships with me."

"Then why don't you ever call her just plain Teelo? Why always _Lady_ Teelo?" Emma asked.

"She saved my life, and the lives of every living thing in our world." Celestia said, turning solemn. "I call her Lady Teelo as a reminder of everything I owe her."

"So, when you call her something besides Lady Teelo, you're talking to a different Teelo?" Emma asked hesitantly. "Like, when you say _Your Majesty_, you're talking to the queen of the trolls, not your cousin?"

Celestia nodded.

"Ok, I get that. But why call her _cousin_ specifically?"

"Because when I say _cousin_ I am speaking to a member of my family." Celestia said. "And I can say things to a member of my family I would have no right to say to a Hero of Equestria or the queen of the trolls. You see?"

"Yeah, I think so." Emma nodded. "That clears it up, thanks."

"Now I have a question for you." Celestia said with a smile. "Are you going to go with Lady Teelo to Hejm?"

"I can't." Emma shook her head. "My parents freaked out when I snuck across the Bridge—which was _awesome_, by the way! So now I have to go back tomorrow."

Celestia's face turned grave.

"Unfortunately, that won't be possible." She said quietly. "I'm terribly sorry."

"What? Why?" Emma asked, alarmed.

"Opening the Bridge of Days is a very difficult spell." Celestia explained. "Not only does it require a magician of great skill, they must also have a considerable amount of raw power. Right now I know of only three ponies capable of it. One is Subtle Dancer. He opened the bridge to bring you here. Alas he will be in the hospital for another three weeks."

"Who are the others?" Emma asked.

"My sister and myself," the alicorn replied. "But the Council would never agree for either of us to go to Bridge of Days now that the Everfree is in such an uproar—and rightly so. If something were to happen to one of us it could mean the end of the world. Not to mention the danger it would put _you _in."

"Great. My parents are going to _freak_." Emma said, slumping. "What about Twilight? She's got a _ton_ of magic doesn't she?"

"Yes, she does." Celestia nodded. "But she lacks the skill. My former student is only eleventh circle. To open the Bridge she would need to be at least eighteenth, possibly higher."

"So I'm stuck until Subtle Dancer is out of the hospital." Emma sighed. "Well, Twilight said she talked with my parents, so at least she'll be able to explain what's going on when she talks to them again."

ooOoo

"Oooh, that's a _really _big pony." Teagan whispered in surprise as an armored pony the size of a Clydesdale approached them. Meteor Swarm walked next to him, dwarfed by the newcomer.

"He's as big as Princess Celestia!" Twilight said, taking a step back. "Teelo, you can't fight him!"

"It's just a spar, not a fight to the death. And he's got all that armor. He'll be fine." Teagan joked; trying to reassure her friend, although inside she was not feeling entirely confident.

_Crush, wake up!_

Gray eyes opened in her mind.

_We've got a new sparring partner. This is a full on spar, but we really don't want to hurt him, so keep your weight down to that of a normal club, ok? _Teagan said inside her mind.

_As you wish, _Crush replied. _I assume you want Bullet Time?_

_That would be helpful, _Teagan thought, her tone wry. _I doubt we'll need the Glow, but keep it handy, just in case._

_A pity you insist on silly names for such effective techniques, _Crush actually sounded disdainful.

_Hey, they were my ideas, so I get to name them! _She mentally stuck her tongue out at her symbiote.

She could feel Crush's disgruntled acquiescence as the earth pony came to a stop.

"You wanted to see me, Commander?" The huge pony asked calmly.

"Stomper, I'd like to introduce you to your newest sparring partner." Heavy Hoof said with a ghostly smile. "She wants to accompany us on the search and rescue of the filly. I tried to explain to her that in a tightly integrated unit like ours an outsider might do more harm than good, but she insisted. I thought you might change her mind. May I introduce Lady Teagan Laoise, scion of Clan O'Gara and queen of the World Below."

"Lady Teagan," the stallion dipped his head in salute. "I saw you fight Discord. You _sure_ you want to spar with me? You're a little on the, um—tiny side. No disrespect intended."

"Well, the Commander insisted on a spar to prove I won't be a burden, Stomper." Teagan said with a smile. "I'll do my best not to hurt you."

"I appreciate that." The huge pony said after pausing for just a little too long, his face carefully blank. "I'll do _my_ best to return the favor."

Teagan's smile didn't waver.

"While I appreciate the sentiment, Stomper, please don't hold back on my account. That would defeat the purpose of sparring." Teagan's smile widened, but inside she was watching her opponent and the other members of the platoon she could see without turning her head. She had to balance bravado against overconfidence. Too far in either direction would lose their acceptance, even if she won the spar.

"All right, we don't have a lot of time here so let's get this done. Stomper, Lady Teagan, I want a full on spar. No broken bones or long-term injuries, but _anything_ else is legal. I expect a low down dirty brawl, got it?"

"Understood, Commander." Teagan said, never losing her smile.

"Yes, sir." Stomper said. "Lady Teagan, are you _positive _you want to do this? I might really hurt you without meaning to."

"You can't hurt what you can't hit, Stomper." She chuckled. "But you have the word of the _Dronning av Fjellet_ that I take full responsibility for any injuries I suffer in our spar. I hold you and the Commander blameless. This is my choice and I accept any consequences of it. Full on spar, and don't you _dare_ hold back."

"I hope you know what you're doing." Stomper said, bowing his head. "Good luck."

"Thank you, Stomper. I look forward to seeing your best." Teagan replied.

_And I really hope my ego's not writing a check my body can't cash_, Teagan said to Crush inside her head.

The demon remained silent.

ooOoo

"Welcome to Canterlot." Celestia said as the chariot landed. As soon as they stopped the golden dome vanished.

"Thank you, Princess. But Teelo and I arrived on the train earlier with the trolls. Speaking of which, I need to tell Søyle what's going on." Emma said as she got down.

"Of course. Thistle, would you show Emma to the Ghrian suite, please?"

"Yes, Your Highness." An unarmored pale gold pegasus with white mane and tail bowed to the alicorn. Emma thought she heard the pegasus snicker, but dismissed it as imagination. Spike floated in front of Celestia as the alicorn trotted away flanked by members of the Sun Shield.

"This way, please." Thistle said pleasantly and led Emma through the castle for about ten minutes before stopping at a door flanked by a pair of gray armored unicorns. She knocked with her hoof.

After a moment the door was opened by a troll.

"Hi Skrent," Emma greeted the troll, "Thistle, thank you for showing me the way."

"Of course, Lady Emma." Thistle bowed her head. "If you should need anything else just ask Pentas or Lantana." She left and Emma went into the suite as Skrent closed the door behind her.

"Where is the Dronning?" Skrent asked.

"It's a long story, Skrent. I need to talk to Søyle and let her know what's going on. I guess you and Flint should listen in too."

The troll nodded and left as Emma collapsed on the couch. The main room was currently empty and Emma took advantage of that to close her eyes and breathe deeply, stretching. The chariot hadn't been meant for a human rider she was painfully stiff. As the sheer ridiculousness of her situation struck her she snorted in laugher.

_I'm in a land of talking ponies about to tell a troll king's wife what her queen is currently up to. Could this get any weirder?_

"Hello, Emma. Did the Dronning not return with you?" Søyle asked. Emma opened her eyes to find the three trolls looming over her. She got up with a wince.

"Yeah, about that…we need to talk. Is there someplace private?"

"Of course." Søyle lead them through a door into what looked like a conference room. A large table was surrounded by sturdy stools interspaced with pillows.

As Emma settled onto a stool with a groan Søyle and the two troll brothers settled on stools across the table.

"So what did Princess Sparkle want with the Dronning and you?" Søyle asked.

"Oh, yeah, she said she'd been in contact with our parents and my parents wanted me to come home right away. Then things went—" Emma paused, looking for the right word. "Um, well I guess _completely insane _might cover it. Spike turned into this monstrous dragon and flew out the window and the guards burst in and Twilight was _losing_ it and we all rushed off to Ponyville after Spike so he wouldn't eat Chrysalis."

"Then, when we got to Ponyville we found Rainbow Dash whipping the town into a frenzy because a filly was kidnapped and a mare killed. She said it must have been diamond dogs because they found half a dozen dead ones at the scene. The emergency made us forget about Spike and start looking for the filly. The guards helped organize the townsfolk into a militia. We set off after the first search party, and found them coming back.

"They told us that a dragon had picked up the kidnappers. And then we found out one of the kidnappers was a _troll_."

"_What?_" Søyle asked, stunned. "How did you discover this?"

"Winona, Applejack's dog, found the scent of trolls on Teelo and me and went nuts." Emma said, eyeing the troll nervously. Søyle's eyes had narrowed and her lip had curled, revealing some pretty impressive teeth.

"How did a _dog_ say this?" Søyle demanded. "Dogs cannot speak."

"Fluttershy can talk to animals. She translated what Winona was saying." Emma responded.

"So a _pony_ said that a _dog _said that a troll did this?" Søyle was clearly angry. "And you believed her?"

"Teelo did." Emma said defensively. "When she introduced us she called Fluttershy her best friend in Equestria. Fluttershy was the one who found her when she got kidnapped the first time. She took her home and let her spend the night in her house."

That seemed to make Søyle pause.

"Anyway, some loudmouth pony started spouting off that he knew trolls couldn't be trusted, and that's when Teelo did a real number on him."

"She what?" Søyle asked, confused.

"She _owned _him." Emma said, laughing. "She asked him his name and he told her, and told her it was a real honor to talk to her. Well, she said she had something really, really important to tell him, and she made him Pinkie Promise to tell everyone he knew."

Emma was grinning as she remembered.

"He assured her that she could count on him and then," Emma couldn't help herself, she started giggling, "and _then _she told him her full name and said it meant all ponies were part of her family, even _him_." She had to stop as she started laughing too hard to talk.

Søyle had calmed now, not quite sure where Emma's story was headed. Skrent and Flint were frowning in confusion.

"Oh God, oh, I'm sorry but this is so funny! And then _she told him she was the queen of the trolls!_" Emma closed her eyes and howled with laughter.

"You should have seen the look on his face! He was absolutely _panicked_. She said trolls were part of his family too!" Emma leaned back and beamed at Søyle, who now had a smile on her own face. Skrent and Flint still looked lost.

"I thought he was going to faint!" Emma said, slowly recovering. "It was _classic_."

"A fitting punishment indeed." Søyle said, chuckling. "The Dronning truly sees to the heart of things."

Emma suddenly sobered. "Yeah. She does, doesn't she? Søyle, she made an oath to all of Equestria as the queen of the trolls."

Søyle grew still and her eyes widened. "What oath? Can you remember the _exact_ words?"

Emma frowned. "No, not the exact words. But I remember her saying whoever this troll was she was going to find them and make sure they never harmed anyone again."

She found three trolls staring intently at her. It was unnerving.

"Please, Emma. Can you remember the words?" Søyle asked in a quiet voice. "They are _important_."

"Let me think." Emma tried to remember. "I remember her saying the troll was foresworn, and something about casting them into the Deepest Dark."

She'd never seen trolls go pale before.

"What does that mean?" Emma asked Søyle. "It's something bad, isn't it?"

"It is the ultimate curse." Søyle said soberly. "Emma, you must remember. What _else_ did she say?"

"Um, I'm _trying_. Uh, something about whether they were male or female?" She wrinkled her brow. "By their own hand? Oh wait! _Male or female, clan or outcast, by their own hand they are foresworn this day. As the queen of the trolls I hereby cast them in the Deepest Dark_. And then she swore to find them and make sure they could never hurt anybody again."

"_Død av sjelen._" Søyle whispered. The two brothers bowed their head and closed their eyes for a moment, features sagging.

"Søyle, what does that mean?" Emma asked, starting to get very afraid.

"Death of the soul." Søyle said hollowly. "She has declared this creature is no longer a troll, no longer _alive_. It is a dead thing that yet walks and must be destroyed by whoever finds it. And she has declared she will hunt it down and destroy it herself."

"Oh crap." Emma said, paling. "She did say she would find him and end him. She made the pony swear to tell _everyone_ he knew, too!"

"We hunt." Flint said, rising. Skrent rose as well, but said nothing.

"It's too late." Emma told them. "They were going to use a spell or something to find Sweetie Belle. Teelo was going with them. She said the troll would attack them and she'd deal with it." Emma shivered. "It took me a half hour to get back here. It'll take you at least an hour to get back. By the time you reach them it will be all over."

"Then we must wait." Søyle said heavily, motioning the brothers to sit again.

"If it's any consolation Celestia told Teelo she'd hate to mourn her, and Teelo promised she'd do her best to come back. I tried to go with her but Teelo pulled a fast one and made me come back with Celestia."

"We must trust the Dronning." Søyle said simply. "The settling dust will reveal all."

ooOoo

"All right, listen up!" Heavy Hoof bellowed.

Teagan, Heavy Hoof, and Stomper were standing in the middle of the open area of the town square. Around the edge of the area the rest of the platoon and many of Ponyville's citizens, including a nervous Twilight Sparkle and her friends.

"Lady Teagan has offered to come along with our platoon to recover the ponynapped filly. To make sure she's up to the challenge, she's going to have win a full contact spar against one of my ponies. Here are the rules!"

"It's going to be a ten minute spar. In order to win Lady Teagan must avoid getting hit by her opponent. In addition she must land three blows that would take down her opponent if this were an actual battle! If either opponent is driven out of the sparing area marked by the chalk lines, they lose."

"Since we have an urgent mission to complete and this spar is just a test, no blows that could break bones or cause other long term injuries are permitted. However, short of that, there are no rules!"

He looked at Teagan. "Lady Teagan, are you ready?"

She drew Crush. "Ready!" She called out.

"Stomper, are you ready?"

"Sir, yes sir!" The giant pony bellowed, pawing the ground in a display that drew _ooohs_ and _aaahs_ from many of the mares watching.

"Come on Teelo! You can take him!" Rainbow Dash yelled enthusiastically as she hovered in mid air.

"Fighters, move to your marks!" Heavy Hoof began to pace backward as they obeyed him. Teagan turned to face Stomper, who was about thirty feet away. The stallion was fully armored, and that armor looked especially heavy and thick to Teagan's admittedly inexperienced eye. He also looked every inch the professional soldier who was ready to take care of business.

_Time to get serious, Crush, _Teagan thought. _Bullet Time, now!_

"**_FIGHT!_**_"_Heavy Hoof roared at the top of his lungs.

The world slowed down and unimportant details faded away. She saw Stomper begin to lunge into a gallop as she sprinted toward him. Every detail was bright and sharp, she could see the armor plates shifting over his form as she closed the distance between them, she could hear each hoof's impact as it struck the ground.

Then she was in range. There was no time to vocalize words to Crush so it was all instinct and will, every motion, every intention plain to the other as she and Crush fused into a single creature.

Teelo leaped just as Stomper's head began to lash downward in a vicious bite that in a real battle would have torn up her arm. Even as she soared into the air she twisted, bringing the club around in a downward arc that should have landed on top of the pony's skull.

But impossibly Stomper seemed to anticipate the blow and sidestep, leaving her club to swing unopposed through open air. She spun out of balance, barely able to land on her feet.

The massive pony pivoted away from her, both back legs lashing out. Teagan saw the hooves coming and just managed to interpose Crush, bracing for what she was sure would be a bruising impact.

Pony and girl were equally surprised when all that happened was a muted _clack_ as the pony's hooves struck Crunch and stopped dead. The fighters sprang apart to recover.

"Impressive." Stomper said. "You have gotten better."

"Thank you." Teagan leaped forward, pretending to jump upward again, but Stomper wasn't fooled. He lashed out with a fore hoof that would have thudded against her chest if she hadn't leaned sideways, bringing Crush around to slam lightly against the armor over his right shoulder. A _clang_ echoed around the square.

In spite of being impressively loud she hadn't struck with any real force since Crush was withholding its weight. Stomper sprang backward, showing no indication she'd even hit him.

_The armor is enchanted. _Crush informed her. _I felt the force of the blow being redirected to the armor as a whole. It is a lesser form of one of my own defensive enchantments._

"One hit for Lady Teagan!" Heavy Hoof shouted from the sidelines.

"Well, now I know you're good enough to spar with me." Stomper said loudly. "Let's see how good you _really_ are!"

The stallion danced forward, shaking his head and screaming a battle challenge. It was pure intimidation and Teagan had to admit it sent a chill down her spine. Stomper reared and began to rain down blows with both hooves. He was lightning quick and struck with both force and precision.

Teagan ducked some, stepped back to avoid others and parried more than a few that came uncomfortably close. The blows came so rapidly it sounded like a tap dance as his hooves struck Crush. Teagan was glad Crush was absorbing the impacts or she might have been knocked sprawling with every blow.

The pony's barrage kept her off balance and too busy to launch a counter attack. He drove her back until she was dangerously near the edge of the sparring area.

She dodged another hoof and dove past the gigantic pony into a shoulder roll, coming up with Crush already in motion, only to see Stomper had already jumped out of range.

"You'll not catch me by surprise again!" He called mockingly.

_How is he **doing **__that? _She demanded.

_He is a seasoned soldier, with many years of practice behind him_, was Crush's calm reply. _You cannot match his battle prowess therefore we must use deception or brute force to overcome him. By the rules of the spar even a single hit disqualifies you, which partially nullifies whatever advantages I can give you._

Teagan yelped as Stomper unexpectedly closed again, something in his movements telling her he was going to try and kick. She leaped sideways and upward in a move she called a Bunny Hop. It carried her ten feet in the air but more importantly twenty feet to the side. She watched Stomper smoothly change course even as she was in mid-air. He was clearly planning to be in position by the time she landed.

She grinned, seeing an opening. Just as she had with Chrysalis she changed direction in mid-air and swerved to let the pony pass under her. Reaching down she smacked his back, the _clang_ again signaling a solid hit.

"Two hits for Lady Teagan!" The crowd was cheering wildly now, she could hear cheers both for herself and Stomper in equal measure. The even-handed cheering raised her spirits for some reason.

"Touché!" Stomper called to her. "I see I'm going to have to get _serious_."

"Next hit decides the spar!" She called out with a grin. "You're a bigger challenge than I thought you'd be!"

"Funny, I was thinking the same thing about you!" He gave a neighing laugh.

They closed for the final exchange of blows.


	19. 19 Diplomatic Gastronomy

**Chapter 19 – Diplomatic Gastronomy**

_In which evil is revealed, our heroine plays a prank, and Celestia wields the awesome power of pudding._

* * *

In a murky cavern a brooding presence lurked. It drifted, unfettered by physical form, a dark miasma invisible to the eye, inaudible to the ear, marked only by the unnatural chill it exuded.

That, and a sense of terrible, terrible _patience_, worn thin over centuries. Patience ready to fail…

The silence was disturbed by a wet slithering sound, like raw meat sliding off a shelf. The darkness stirred, focusing its attention on the deliberate clopping of hooves on stone. There was something wrong with the cadence of those hooves, a certain hesitation between steps that spoke to the deepest instincts of the listener, whispering_ flee before it finds you..._

The still air bore a faint stench of rotting flesh that grew stronger as the hoof beats neared. The darkness coiled, a sense of eager anticipation oozing from it.

No living eyes could pierce the darkness of that stygian grotto, yet the presence within and the owner of the hooves had no trouble seeing one another. Wordlessly the flayed and bleeding pony turned its head and retrieved something from its tattered saddlebag, sightless eyes locked unerringly on the lurking presence as it displayed its prize.

Without hesitation the darkness reached out to take the offering—a single black crystal still glowing with the remnants of corrupted alicorn magic.

A deep booming _victorious_ laugh spilled from the darkness. The sound was faint, as though coming from a great distance, yet the sound filled the cavern and dripped from the walls like aural putrescence.

ooOoo

As the distance closed Teagan watched Stomper closely, waiting for some tell-tale signal of his intended attack. It didn't come until he was almost on top of her and she had started to sidestep and swing.

Stomper _sproinked_, leaping straight upward at full gallop. Crush passed harmlessly under his hooves. Teagan hadn't known ponies could _do_ that, the only animal she'd ever heard of that could was a saluki, a sight hound from the Middle East that Matt had once told her about.

As he passed her the pony's rear hooves lashed out. If Crush hadn't yanked her downward unexpectedly those hooves would have crashed into her shoulder, ending the spar. As it was, she felt the breeze as they passed overhead, and they actually touched the ends of her up-flung hair.

Crush's save left her skidding on the ground, unprepared as Stomper landed and spun impossibly fast. He charged forward to trample her and Crush had to yank her sideways as Stomper hopped lightly, so his trample attack wouldn't be fatal.

He seemed surprised to find her rolling to her feet five feet from him. She didn't give him time to recover, charging straight at him with Crush leveled in front of her like a spear. She saw him grin as he spun and reared in one fluid motion to meet her charge. His front hoof came sideways in a movement impossible for a real horse, knocking Crush sideways, his head coming down for a bite that would end the spar.

Teagan fell flat, and slid under him on her back, bringing Crush up as she passed between his rear legs. There was another, much more muted clang.

Crush pulled her clear as Stomper suddenly sat down.

"Ow." He said quietly after a moment. Teagan came to her feet and relaxed, sheathing Crush.

The crowd was silent, unsure of what was going on. As the girl approached the sitting stallion, giving him a respectfully wide berth the whispers began.

"That was the most intense spar I've _ever_ had." Teagan said, bowing. "Thank you, Stomper. Are you all right?"

The stallion gave her a weak grin. "I will be. You fight dirty, Your Majesty. Congratulations on your victory." He did a half bow from his seated position.

At Stomper's words the crowd broke into uncertain cheers, led by a snickering Rainbow Dash. Several of the Hooves winced before starting the rhythmic stomping that Equestrians used as applause.

Heavy Hoof approached them. "It seems you'll be joining us after all, Lady Teagan. Stomper, are you fit for duty?"

"Yes sir. Just give me a moment." The pony said with a grimace. "I'd like to report discovering a small flaw in our armor, sir."

Heavy Hoof chuckled. "I'm told there isn't a lot to be done about that particular _flaw_, soldier. I am surprised Lady Teagan was able to exploit it, though."

"You said you wanted a low down dirty brawl, Commander." Teagan said mildly. "That's exactly how I've been trained to fight. I do hope there are no lasting effects, Stomper. I deliberately pulled my blow."

"Which I appreciate, believe me." Stomper said, rising with a wince. "Ready for duty, Commander!" He gave the almost Roman salute, bringing his foreleg across his chest in another move anatomically impossible for horses.

The cheering and stomping was dying down and the three separated to get ready for the upcoming march.

"I can't believe you did that!" Rainbow Dash said, laughing manically. "That was _awesome_."

"Kinda a low blow, weren't it?" Applejack asked disapprovingly.

"In a real fight anything goes, Applejack." Teagan said easily. "That's why I try to keep out of them."

"Yes, well, Darling I wouldn't _dream_ of asking you to hold back when it comes to rescuing my precious sister." Rarity said seriously. "I'm sure you know best how to go about it. Just be a dear and _hurt _them, would you?"

"I think that's a given, Rarity." Teagan said grimly.

"I still don't know what you did." Twilight complained. "You must have hit him again but I didn't see it. Did you hit him in the back of the knees? Is that why he sat down? I know the armor doesn't cover the legs but wasn't that dangerous? You could have really hurt him."

Rainbow Dash stared disbelievingly at her friend. "Twilight, are you _serious?_"

"What? I couldn't see! The angle was wrong." Twilight complained.

"She didn't hit his legs, Twilight." Fluttershy murmured, blushing just a bit.

Pinkie whispered something in Twilight's ear and stood back, grinning.

"_What?_" The alicorn blushed, turning deep violet. "Teagan, how _could _you?"

Teagan shrugged. "Whatever it takes, Twilight. Besides, I didn't hit him _hard_." She grinned. "I didn't need to. But I did need to win the spar. Rescuing Sweetie Belle is the only thing that matters here."

Twilight shuddered. "I guess you're right. Remind me never to make you angry."

"Well, let's go, Teelo," Pinkie said cheerfully. "We'll see you later, girls. Time to rescue Sweetie Belle!"

"Wait, Pinkie? You're going with them?" Rainbow Dash asked in surprise.

"Yuppers! Cerise wants to be there. She says between the two of us we can probably sneak in and out with Sweetie Belle before those big ponies stomp the bad guys. We don't want her getting hurt." Pinkie's face lost its smile, turning serious. "The Hooves play _rough _and she's already hurting."

Teagan winced, wondering if another argument with Commander Hoof was in her immediate future.

She and Pinkie joined Dawn Spire where she was speaking to the Commander and his unicorn subordinate. The group was concentrating on a map.

He looked up, frowning a moment at Pinkie Pie.

"What's she doing here?" He asked with a neutral expression.

"She's coming with us to extract Sweetie Belle before the attack." Teagan said. Pinkie grinned at him and waved a hoof.

"I'm already making an exception for you, Lady Teagan." He said, scowling. "But this mare is just a _baker_. She would compromise the mission!"

Before Pinkie could protest and cement his opinion of her, Teagan put her hand on the mare's shoulder.

"This is Pinkamena Diane Pie, one of the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony." Teagan said quietly. "She faced _Tišina _in her lair, Commander, and in single combat cut off Tišina's tentacles and brought them back. She blew Tišina's brains out on the glacier. It was _her_ plan that finally turned Tišina to stone once and for all."

She stared at him, daring him to say anything. To his credit his face turned thoughtful as he studied the whimsical pink mare.

"That was actually Cerise, Teelo." Pinkie corrected the girl. "I was off looking for Garnet when Cerise had that argument with Tišina. And _she_ shot Tišina with Berry Fudge Gumball. She was the one who told me about the poison joke too."

"Cerise? You want to bring along yet _another_ pony, Lady Teagan?"

"Pinkie, let's keep Cerise our little secret, OK?" Teagan said hastily. "Commander, if we need her Cerise will be there. Otherwise, you'll never see her." Teagan shivered, making Heavy Hoof's eyebrows rise. "And that's a very good thing, believe me."

"Besides, hopefully we won't need her. Pinkie Pie's got some weird magic that baffles even Princess _Celestia_." Teagan continued. "Magic that lets her pop out of places she couldn't possibly get into. Do things no other pony can. As assets go she's a godsend. She can probably get Sweetie Belle out of the villains' lair before we hit it. What's that worth to you?"

"_Can_ you get her out?" Heavy Hoof asked. Pinkie Pie nodded.

"Easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy!" Pinkie said brightly. "And if I can't I bet Cerise can!"

Teagan winced. Heavy Hoof's eyes narrowed.

"You vouch for her, Lady Teagan? And this Cerise too?"

"Yes, Commander. They saved the world. I think we can trust them to help us rescue a filly." Teagan said.

"Very well. Don't make me regret this." Heavy Hoof said. "We have the filly's location now so we'll be moving out immediately."

"Where is she?" Teagan asked.

"About an hour's march south of here." The Commander said. "Some place called Foggy Bottom Swamp. There's a cliff with some caves on the northern side. She's apparently in the caves. We'll be able to pinpoint her location when we get closer."

"But the trail led north." Teagan said uncertainly. "They lost her after a dragon—"

"Flew them south." Heavy Hoof said. "A very simple but brilliant strategy. Without the compasses we'd be looking in exactly the wrong direction." He nodded his thanks to Dawn Spire, who smiled.

"Whoever they are they're clever." Dawn Spire said, turning serious. "Be careful, Commander. That magic user might be trouble."

"Heh. The Fixers will take care of it." Heavy Hoof snorted. "There's an advantage in being an integrated unit, Dawn Spire. The Horns aren't the only ones with tricks up their horns."

"Yes, well check out _this _trick, Commander." Fairy Shimmer spoke up, gesturing to a large globe glowing on her own table. They gathered around the globe, which was filled with the scene of a swamp. There was a cave in the background. Fairy Shimmer's horn emitted a burst of turquoise light and the focus changed, showing the muddy ground in front of the cave, which was churned up from the passage of many creatures. The globe zoomed in on one clear imprint on the edge of the churned area. A three toed track, some six feet long according to the red measuring line that appeared in the globe. Next to it was a pair of hoof prints and, half-obscured from traffic, a print that could have been made by a troll.

"I'd say that's pretty solid confirmation." Teagan said softly. "How far can you get inside the cave?"

"Not far. The cliff is made of basalt. This portable unit doesn't have any magical boosting behind it, just my own magic. I can't punch a scrying point through more than a few inches of that stuff. Even if Dawn Spire helped boost the power we'd probably only double the penetration. The big unit back at headquarters could go deeper, but probably not through more than twenty feet of it."

"How complicated is the spell that runs this thing?" Teagan asked, getting an idea.

"Fairly high," The unicorn replied. "Eighth circle, why?"

"Would Twilight know it?" Teagan asked. Fairy Shimmer shook her head, dashing Teagan's hopes.

"We could ask her, but I doubt it. It's pretty specialized. And not a spell we teach just anyone. If she doesn't already know the spell it would take her days to learn it."

"You said something about boosting the power? How hard would that be? Twilight's an _alicorn_. She's got power to burn."

"Oooh." Fairy Shimmer grinned. "That might actually work. She did help Princess Luna raise the sun, so she must know _Wind Spear's Succor_. The boosting spell is just a variant of that. If she doesn't already know it I could teach it to her in a few minutes."

"How much depth would that buy you?" Teagan asked.

The turquoise unicorn considered. "This little unit's rated for a kilothaum I think," She murmured thoughtfully. "Right now I'm feeding it about a tenth of that. Dawn Spire's boost would equal mine, so if Twilight took Dawn Spire's place…hmm. Maybe five feet?"

"So only five feet in?" Teagan asked, disappointed. "That's not very helpful."

"No, five feet of _rock_." Fairy Shimmer corrected her. "It depends on how thick the cave wall is, how the cave is laid out, and which angle the signal has to take to reach us here. If we're lucky we could probably move the sensor into a large open area and see most of it. It also depends on light sources because this unit can't see in the dark."

"What about wards?" Meteor Swarm asked suddenly. "Hate to trip something and let them know we're coming."

"It can't see wards either." Fairy Shimmer said apologetically.

Heavy Hoof sighed. "Why is it never simple? Swarm's right. We don't dare let them know we found their base. Right now they're sitting fat, happy, and stupid. Even if they find out we've been deployed they don't know we know where they are. If your scrying tripped a ward we'd lose the element of surprise. Shut it down, please. The last thing we need is for it to be picked up on a routine magic sweep."

Obediently, the picture in the globe vanished.

"Time to move out. Hope you know how to run, Lady Teagan. We're going to be moving at a trot, so keep up or go home." Heavy Hoof said. "Sergeant Boulder! Move 'em out!"

"Yes, sir!" A heavyset pony bellowed back. He had the platoon readied to move by the time his commander joined him.

Teagan found herself rapidly falling behind as the platoon trotted out of town. At a trot they could move almost as fast as she could run flat out. Pinkie stayed with her, offering encouragement. But five minutes after they'd left the platoon was _gone_, already out of sight.

"I'm sorry, Pinkie. I just can move that fast." Teagan leaned over, breathing hard. The commander had said the bad guys were an hour away. There was no way she could run for an entire hour. Even if she could she'd be exhausted and useless by the time she got there.

"That stupid Heavy Hoof! He made me spar for nothing! What a _jerk_." Slowly her breathing slowed down.

"So he played a prank on you?" Pinkie Pie asked, grinning widely. "Why don't we play one on him?"

"I'm listening." Teagan said, a slow smile starting to spread as Pinkie explained her idea.

ooOoo

"Snowy's got something closing on our position, Commander." Meteor Swarm said, breaking the silence fifteen minutes into the march. "Aerial, moving over three times the speed of a chariot. Hang on, now Moonstone's got something closing on the ground as well. He's reporting it moving nearly as fast as the one in the air!"

"Give me details, Swarm." Heavy Hoof growled. "Boulder, get Fire Rain to deal with the air threat. I want the Hammerheads between the rest of the platoon and the ground threat."

"Yes Sir!" The sergeant broke into a gallop to relay the instructions quietly.

"Aerial incoming, ten seconds!" Meteor Swarm warning the commander, his horn lighting up with a combat spell. Heavy Hoof spotted the target it streaked overhead, a flaming scarlet shape that rapidly dove at the ground a hundred yards ahead, hitting the ground hard enough the pony expected it to make a crater.

"Land bound contact in thirty!" The unicorn reported tensely. Sure enough a pink blur sped by them on schedule, coming to stop beside the aerial.

Heavy Hoof gaped for a moment, and then angrily told his second to give the all clear. Stalking forward he confronted the two newcomers.

"Do you two have any idea how stupid that was?" He growled. Pinkie Pie grinned at him while Teagan smiled.

"Just catching up to you, Commander. You left us to our own devices back in town. That was a bit rude. I told you I had to be the one to deal with the troll. Now, since you've forced us to make our own travel arrangements we'll see you when you get there. Don't be late."

Teagan and Pinkie turned to go.

"All right, it was a trick." Heavy Hoof admitted. "I was trying to keep the two of you safe. Lady Teagan if anything happens to you while you're in Equestria you know the trolls will blame us. Not to mention Celestia would have my commission if I allowed any harm to come to one of the Bearers. Sorry for trying to _protect_ you."

His voice was laced with sarcasm.

Teagan turned back but Pinkie beat her to the punch.

"Silly! You don't have to protect _us! _We're here to protect _you_." Pinkie said, winking. "These Meanie McMeaniepants stole Rarity's sister and that's just not right! They hurt her, and if we don't act quick they're gonna hurt her _really bad_. That makes Cerise super-mad and she might not listen to me when we get there. Well, at least not once we get Sweetie Belle out, that is. _Then_ they better look out!"

"What she said." Teagan nodded. "There's a dragon and a troll and who knows how many magic users and assorted nasties waiting for us. You're going to need as many heavy hitters as you can get. _She's_ a walking artillery battery and I can _literally_ collapse that damn cliff on their heads before they know what hit them. Really want to turn down that kind of firepower?"

Heavy Hoof studied the two of them. "Is it true a troll can't tell a lie, Lady Teagan?"

"It's more accurate to say they _won't_ tell a lie, Commander." Teagan said. "That troll I'm after—well he really isn't a troll anymore. Not after what he did to Sweetie Belle."

"So what is he, Lady Teagan?" Heavy Hoof asked carefully.

"A walking corpse." Teagan said flatly, feeling her temper flare and not caring. "A corpse I'm going to bury once and for all so he can't hurt anyone else."

Heavy Hoof stared at her, suddenly wondering if she was actually more dangerous than the dragon.

ooOoo

Emma and Søyle were shown into Celestia's private dining room at six o'clock. The teen was surprised to find half a dozen ponies already seated at the large table, but no sign of the princess. A polite waitress led them to their seats, which Emma saw were at the head of the table, next to the empty Royal cushions. She knew that meant they were being honored.

It made her determined to be on her best behavior since these ponies were almost certainly nobility, judging from the quality of their clothing and the jewelry several were sporting. In fact, they were the first ponies she'd seen wearing clothing at all since she'd arrived in Equestria.

Søyle's place was on the right side of Celestia's empty seat while to its left sat an unoccupied silver and blue cushion.

Søyle moved silently and gracefully to take her seat. Her place setting was raised a full two feet from the surface of the table to accommodate her large frame.

As Emma sat carefully she noted the table height was much lower than she was used to but still manageable. She had just settled when the mare next to her coughed delicately.

"Good evening. You must be a friend of Lady Teagan's." The fuchsia and chartreuse pony said. She was wearing a silver band set with pearls that circled her brow. Emma knew that marked her as some kind of noble. "I was given to understand Lady Teagan would be joining us tonight."

"She had planned to," Emma said carefully, "but an emergency came up. Hopefully she should return later tonight."

"An emergency? How awful!" The pony raised a manicured hoof to her muzzle. "It didn't have anything to do with that dreadful Tišina did it?"

"No, nothing like that," the girl hastily reassured the pony, unsure of exactly how much she should say. "I'm Emma, by the way."

"Charmed, Lady Emma." The pony dipped her head regally. "I am Baroness Splendid Light and very happy to make your acquaintance. May I enquire who your companion might be?"

"I am Kona Søyle, consort of Kongen Fjell." The troll replied with a nod.

"The King's wife?" Splendid Light smile widened slightly. "Should I address you as Your Majesty then?"

"No," Søyle smiled, deliberately letting her incisors show for just a moment. "That honor falls to the Dronning av Fjellet, she you call Lady Teagan."

Emma could feel the steel in that exchange although she had no idea why the two were at odds. She was surprised Søyle was being so low key about it, from what Teagan had told her about trolls she would have expected Søyle to snarl. She flashed back to Søyle raising scarlet claws that gleamed wetly in the sun…

"Would it be forward of me to ask what emergency detained Her Majesty?" Splendid Light asked with careful courtesy.

"A matter of state." Søyle replied easily. "I believe it involved a consultation involving a minor confrontation between a pony and a troll."

_Søyle, what are you doing?_ Emma wondered, quickly deciding she wanted _no_ part of the cat fight brewing between Søyle and the baroness.

"Yes, well that's no surprise, really. Ponies and trolls don't mix well. Much like oil and water." Splendid Light said quietly. "Our cultures are so very different after all."

"It is the Dronning's belief ponies and trolls can live together in peace." Søyle said, watching the pony with a distinct lack of expression. "She has made this quite clear. It is her will."

"Given how—excitable—trolls are, perhaps that peace could be best achieved by limiting contact?" Splendid Light suggested innocently.

"The Dronning feels otherwise." Søyle said as if that settled the matter. "I see the Princess hasn't arrived yet. Is she feeling well? She did not seem herself this afternoon."

"She assured everyone it was only a minor magical mishap. Nothing to be concerned about." Splendid light replied. "Ah! In fact here she is now."

Rising, the pony went into a full bow. Søyle rose to her feet and bowed her head. Emma quickly jumped up and attempted a curtsey, although her jeans and tee shirt rather dampened the effort. The other ponies were also bowing.

Princess Luna was walking closely beside her sister, and in truth Celestia seemed a bit off to the teen. She moved carefully, with just the slightest hesitation in her step.

"Please, everyone be seated." Celestia said kindly. "I'm sorry to keep you waiting. Marigold, would you tell the servers to begin dinner please?"

The dark gold pony bowed lightly and left the room.

Within seconds serving ponies were bringing in the first course, a colorful salad which they placed before everyone except the troll.

"Søyle, Emma, how nice to see you again." Celestia smiled at them, her blue and white face and baby-duck voice clashing horribly with her regal bearing. It didn't particularly bother Emma but she couldn't help noticing the other ponies were subtly trying to avoid looking at their ruler, and flinched whenever she spoke.

"Your Highness, thank you for inviting us." Søyle said in a smooth mellow bass. "I was just getting acquainted with Baroness Splendid Light. We were discussing some of our cultural differences."

"Oh? It's always intriguing to compare one's own culture with that of another species." Princess Celestia said, smiling widely. "For example, did you know in the Griffon Kingdoms when a young griff becomes engaged it is customary for him to bring a deer he caught himself for the engagement feast?"

The Baroness dropped her fork which made a musical chime as it struck the crystal bowl.

"Oh, how clumsy of me." She said, blushing. "Pardon me."

Emma noticed the fork trembled slightly in the unicorn's magical grip as she went back to eating her salad.

"I did not know that, Your Highness." Søyle said, smiling. "A most logical custom indeed. He thus proves himself able to provide for his family to be. Alas, I have met only a handful of griffons. The World Below is not to their taste. A proud race, and fierce, from what I have seen."

"They are." Celestia said, nodding. "And they love intrigue. Many treat it as an art form."

"Indeed? Among trolls only the Snøskred and Alene enjoy such games. The average troll prefers a more straightforward negotiation." She paused as a server laid a plate in front of her. "Ah, rock larvae! However did you obtain them, Your Highness?" Søyle asked, apparently delighted at a pair of what looked like elongated rocks on her sturdy plate. She picked one up and without apparent effort tore it open with a loud _crack_ to reveal a pale golden color that reminded Emma of grilled shrimp. The girl blinked at the thickness of the shell, she'd have needed a hammer and chisel to break one open.

"One of your retinue mentioned rock larvae were your favorite so I had some flown in especially for you. I hope they're to your taste."

Søyle used what looked to Emma like a lobster pick to pull the meat from inside the shell. The troll took a big sliver and ate it with surprising delicacy for such a large creature.

"Superb, Your Highness." Søyle said with obvious appreciation. "Your reputation as a matchless hostess is well deserved."

"I'm so glad you're enjoying them." Celestia smiled and began to eat her own salad.

"Emma would you like some?" Søyle offered.

"Yes, please. Just a little piece, so I can taste it." Emma said. The smell was wonderful, and the chunk Søyle passed her more than generous.

"Oh, that _is _good." Emma said, after chewing and swallowing. She was suddenly aware that all the ponies except Celestia and Luna were watching her with a kind of blank horror. "It reminds me of Alaskan snow crab."

"What is a snow crab?" Søyle asked with an interested expression.

"It's a sea creature that has eight legs and a shell over its entire body. Big huge pincers too." Emma said. "Snow crabs come from Alaska, that's in the far north of my world, where ice and snow stick around most of the year."

"You eat _meat_, then?" A strangled voice from across the table asked. The speaker was a tall white unicorn with golden mane and blue eyes that were now somewhat wide and glazed with dismay.

"Um, actually humans are omnivorous." Emma said. "We eat meat and fish and fruit and vegetables and oh, grains and um, well just about anything really. But not hay. Or flowers. Or, uh…" She trailed off, seeing the unicorn shiver. "Are you all right?"

"Actually, I'm suddenly feeling a bit under the weather." The unicorn said, sweating just a bit. "Aunt Celly, I'm dreadfully sorry, but I'm afraid I will have to withdraw. My sincerest apologies to you and your guests."

"Oh, dear. Of course, Prince Blueblood, I hope you feel better tomorrow." Princess Celestia said in a kindly voice.

"I'm certain I shall, Aunty. Good night and enjoy your meal." The unicorn stood and beat a hasty retreat.

"I hope I didn't upset him." Emma said, feeling about two inches tall.

"Nonsense, child. We are certain our nephew simply suffers from a delicate constitution." Luna said in a voice that carried throughout the room."

"Thank you, Your Highness." Emma said nervously.

"Thee are welcome." Luna said. "However, we have a question. If thy species is omnivorous why canst thou not eat hay?"

"It's because we can't digest cellulose, Your Highness." Emma said. "It has something to do with which bacteria live in our gut. Horses—well, _ponies_, have the correct bacteria while humans don't."

"Fascinating. Art thou then a scientist in thy world?" Luna asked with obvious interest.

"Oh no, Your Highness. I'm still a student. We covered the digestive system last year in one of my classes."

There was a sudden, unmistakable noise and a rainbow appeared from behind Celestia, who looked surprised. Every eye in the room followed the brilliant band of light as it twisted and spun near the ceiling, only to abruptly dive and streak through the window.

"Ok, that was different." Emma spoke without thinking. Suddenly the room was filled with music, a tune that Emma instantly recognized. Except she'd never heard it played on _kazoos_ before…

"What in the world?" She twisted around to look for the source of the music.

"Sister, we had thought them safely contained." Luna said, a look of dread crossing her face.

"So did I." Celestia said, her head drooping as she closed her eyes. Around the table ponies were discreetly craning their necks to find the musicians.

The door the Royal sisters had used to enter the room swung partway open, and the music suddenly swelled in volume. Through the door several diminutive figures marched, playing drums and kazoos.

"Oh, no," Celestia groaned under her breath.

"Are those _Smurfs?_" Emma asked, jaw falling open. "You have Smurfs in Equestria?"

"Is that what those infuriating pests are called?" Luna asked, rising to her feet a glow beginning to surround her horn.

"Leave them, Luna." Celestia spoke, raising her head. "It doesn't do any good. I tried. _Repeatedly_."

The six inch high blue humanoids wearing white pants and matching hats burst into song, much to Celestia's visible dismay.

_Da-da-dum-da-de-da-dum-dum_

_Da-da-dum-da-de-da-dum-dum_

_Um-pa-lum-pa-la-la_

"_Please_ don't sing." Celestia groaned.

_They're creepy and they're kooky  
Insidious and goopy  
They're altogether ooky  
Intestinal Gases!_

_They smell like mausoleums  
Even when nopony sees'em  
Still makes the ponies scream  
Intestinal Gases!_

_ (Silent)  
(Butt)  
(Deadly)_

_So get that nosebag all on  
Pine scent that you can spray on,  
You're gonna groan and crawl on  
In—tes—tin—al Gas—es!_

And with that, the musicians bowed to the assembled ponies and scampered back through the door they had come through, leaving it ajar.

The room was absolutely silent. Celestia raised her head, took a deep breath, and continued eating her salad as though nothing had happened. After a moment Princess Luna followed suit.

Taking their cue from the princesses the guests resumed eating, not actually daring to say anything.

The salad course was followed by a mushroom and tofu soup. It was quite good, but even though her hosts had thoughtfully given her filly-sized portions it was still a _lot _of food, and Emma wasn't sure how many courses to expect.

The third course turned out to be the main course, and a _huge _surprise to the pony guests. It looked like meat, and smelled like meat—Emma thought it was some kind of chicken with _barbeque _sauce, of all things.

"Your Highness, has there been some kind of error in the kitchen?" An older stallion with a bright golden coat and copper red mane asked, staring at his plate. "I fully understand bringing in a non-pony chef for our esteemed guests, but was it communicated to him that ponies would be dining as well?"

"Why, whatever do you mean, Duke Shimmerling?" Celestia asked innocently. She cut a small piece of her meal and ate it with every indication of enjoyment, much to the shock of the ponies present.

Emma cut a small piece of her own meal and tried it. It was good—and she could have sworn it was chicken. No wonder the ponies were staring at their plates in growing horror. Teagan had told her about the whole "no meat" thing and why it was a big deal in Equestria.

So it _couldn't_ be meat. But it sure tasted like the best barbeque chicken she'd ever had.

"Um, excuse me, Your Highness?" Emma asked diffidently.

"Yes, Emma?" Celestia asked with a smile.

"What do you call this dish?" Emma tried to make her question casual.

"Don't you recognize it?" Celestia asked, raising her eyebrows. "Matthew assured me it tasted exactly like one of his favorite dishes on your world."

"Um, yes it does." Emma said, watching Celestia's eyes twinkle. Something was up. She glanced around the table, seeing ponies look at her and then at their plates, eyes widening and irises shrinking. "That's why I'm asking. Because if this is what I think it is, you wouldn't be eating it. So it can't be what it tastes like."

Curious, Søyle sampled her own food. "This is quite good! But…" She gave Celestia a startled look as she caught on.

"I can assure you, Your Grace, there was no mistake. This dish is _quite_ good." Celestia said to the Duke. "Won't you try some? Luna, you aren't eating. Is something the matter?"

The Duke looked down at his plate and back into the eyes of his princess. He seemed to be worried about something.

"Neigh, sister, we are simply curious what the dish might be called." Luna said. Turning to Emma she enquired. "Thou seemest to recognize it Lady Emma. What is this dish called in your world?"

"With all due respect, Your Highness, I _know_ this can't be what I think it is." Emma demurred. "So I'd rather not say if you don't mind. It might make you—unhappy."

"Oh?" She turned to Celestia. "Dost thee jest with us, dear sister?" Luna's face was so composed that Emma suddenly realized the dark blue alicorn was in on the joke.

"I would never pull a prank on such distinguished guests, Luna." Celestia said calmly eating another bite of her dinner. "However, as the subject of cultural differences seems to be on everyone's mind lately I thought our main course would be a good time to introduce a _human_ cultural difference to both ponies and trolls. I can assure you however this particular meal is delicious, nutritious, and in no way objectionable. So please, my little ponies, I ask that you indulge in some enjoyable cross-cultural exchange."

Luna cut a tiny piece of the food on her plate and cautiously chewed it, swallowing. A thoughtful pause followed.

"Hmm. Slightly salty, yet the glaze is both sweet and tart. The taste is quite unusual. We do not believe we have encountered it before.

Emboldened by Luna's description the other guests cautiously sampled their food. Several began to eat with every sign of enjoyment while others remained reluctant, clearly only finishing the course to avoid appearing to doubt their sovereign's word.

Emma dug in with great enjoyment, managing to finish her portion without being totally stuffed. She suspected the last course would be desert and, given she was dining with Royalty, was likely to be completely mind-blowing.

When everyone had finished the course, Princess Celestia cleared her throat.

"Now that everyone has had a chance to sample the main course I will tell you it is called _gari barbakoa_. It is made from wheat and spices in a secret process that the griffon chef Luma Atzapar has perfected. I'm sure many of you have enjoyed meals at the Griffonia, have you not?" She smiled around the table and her guests relaxed with relieved smiles.

"Now, Emma, why don't you tell everyone what you thought it was?" Princess Celestia asked sweetly.

"Are you really sure you want me to do that?" Emma asked cautiously.

"Of course. We are all ponies of the world here, Emma. Don't be concerned."

"If you say so. I _thought_ it was barbecued chicken." Emma said, bracing herself.

It took a half beat. Ponies looked puzzled and then jaws dropped and betrayed glances turned toward Celestia.

"Calm yourselves, my little ponies. You ate _wheat_, not the remains of an animal. However, the taste and texture were apparently so perfect it fooled even Emma, who couldn't tell the difference. No creatures were harmed to make our meal. So rejoice that you have gotten to share an experience from a culture vastly different from our own." Celestia paused.

"I would also point out the more one learns of another's culture and beliefs, the more perspective it grants on one's own. Let us all keep this in mind in the days to come as we work to establish peaceful interaction with our new found kin from the World Below."

Princess Celestia used her magic to ring a small bell. When Marigold appeared the Princess nodded to her. Marigold bowed and left the room.

"Since the first two courses were undeniably pony cuisine, and the main course was a human dish, I thought it appropriate if dessert were troll fare. It's called _gozoa onddo esnea_. It's a type of pudding, in which you dip the mushroom sticks that come with it. The sticks are cut from a giant mushroom that grows in Hejm and then baked. I've been fortunate enough to have this dessert on a number of occasions and can tell you it is exquisite."

And with that she took up a stick in her magic, dipping it into the pale blue pudding. She popped the stick in her mouth and chewed slowly, eyes closed and clearly savoring the treat. Seeing her delight the guests were far less wary than they had been of the _gari_ and dug in with gusto.

Emma took a bite and froze as an explosion of flavor assaulted her. The mushroom stick was very spicy however the pudding was intensely sour while just sweet enough to keep it from being bitter. The only thing Emma could compare it to was a really intense key-lime pie—although the pudding certainly didn't taste like lime. It didn't taste like anything she'd ever had.

She finished it in spite of already being uncomfortably full, and regretted there wasn't more.

"That was _incredible!"_ She said to Søyle with a wide grin. "What is it?"

"_Gozoa onddo esnea,"_ Søyle said.

"Yes, but what does that mean?" The girl asked.

"Sweet fungus pudding." Søyle replied. "The _makilak_ are made from a mushroom that grows as large as the trees of the World Above. It was quite good. I'm surprised ponies know how to make it properly."

"I took the liberty of asking the Kongen for a skilled chef during your stay." Celestia said with a smile.

"Your talents as a hostess are indeed without equal, Your Highness." Søyle nodded her head in respect.

"The food was _wonderful, _Your Highness!" Emma said, pressing one hand against her too full belly. "Teelo's going to kick herself for missing this."

After a few more pleasantries the Princess took her leave and the remarkable dinner was over. Emma and Søyle were escorted back to their suite. Emma spent the walk thinking about everything that had happened. She was fairly sure a great deal of diplomacy had occurred at dinner, but for the life of her she couldn't decide exactly what had been accomplished, other than a firm belief that the dinner had gone exactly as Celestia had planned.

Well, aside from the Smurfs that is…


	20. 20 Grave Situation

**Chapter 20 – Grave Situation**

_In which our heroine discovers while diplomacy may be maddening the alternative is fraught with regrettable realities._

* * *

The commander refused to slow his unit from a trot, so Pinkie ended up offering Teagan a ride. She kept zooming ahead and waiting, grinning every time the unit trotted past. Then she'd do it again.

It turned the "hour's march" into a half-hour trot.

"Thanks Pinkie, I owe you." Teagan said as she slid off Pinkie's back.

"No, problem, Teelo. You can't help it if you can't run as fast as a pony! I mean, not that it wasn't fun having you on my back like that. I do it for Pound and Pumpkin all the time!"

Without warning Pinkie's face went blank for a moment.

"Hang on. Be right back." And then she vanished.

Teagan blinked at where Pinkie had just been.

"Did she _teleport?"_ Heavy Hoof asked in disbelief as he and his unicorn subordinate approached. "How can an earth pony teleport?"

"I didn't feel anything." Meteor Swarm said with a frown. "Teleports always leave a residual trace of thaumic energy. There's _nothing_."

"It's Pinkie Pie, Commander." Teagan said "We don't ask anymore."

"Where did she go?" The commander asked after they'd stood around for a couple of minutes.

Teagan shrugged. "If I had to guess? I'd say—"

"Guys! A little help here!" Pinkie said, an unconscious Sweetie Belle on her back. Pinkie's mane and tail were flat and straight.

"How—never mind. **_MEDIC!_**_"_ Heavy Hoof bellowed.

A unicorn mare hurried forward and floated Sweetie Belle off the pink pony's back.

"She's been manacled and yoked." The unicorn said. "I need Silver Tale to get these off her before I can properly treat her."

"Hey, Teagan. We need to talk." Pinkie said in a tone that sent chills down Teagan's spine. She knew that voice.

"Cerise?" Teagan asked cautiously. Heavy Hoof looked at the girl then focused on the pink pony.

"Yeah, it's me. Listen, we have a problem. She wasn't the only one in there." Cerise's voice was flat and emotionless. "And I'm thinking it's a good thing the Commander was in a hurry."

"Why?" Dread made Teagan's belly clench. She _really_ didn't want to hear whatever Cerise was about to say.

"Because there were two ponies in line ahead of her." Cerise watched the girl. Her voice was flat and calm, but the corner of her eye had developed a tic. "They were still alive. But they couldn't scream any more so I—took away their pain."

"Fillies?" Teagan asked, feeling sick as Cerise's meaning settled over her like cold oily slime.

"No. A full grown mare and stallion." Cerise replied. "Why? Does that make it any better?"

Teagan turned red as rage filled her. Acid tore at the back of her throat. She hadn't felt like this since Discord had tried to murder Fluttershy. Cerise watched her, only the tic betraying the pony's calm expression Teagan turned to stare at the cave in the distance, feeling the fury build. She knew she wouldn't be able to keep control much longer. A part of her was glad of that.

"Any more living prisoners?" Heavy Hoof asked gruffly.

"Six more." Cerise said, turning her gaze toward the earth pony. "All mares, mostly unharmed. All manacled and yoked like Sweetie Belle."

"What about guards? Defeneses?" Heavy Hoof asked. "How far in are the prisoners?"

"No idea." Cerise said. "Pinkie's little shortcuts avoid the scenic route, if you know what I mean."

"What _can_ you tell me?" He asked in a level tone.

"Nothing you want to hear if you feel like sleeping tonight." Cerise said in an unemotional voice. The tic was still present. "When you go in, I'm going with you. If you want any of them to answer questions better make sure you get to them before I do—either that or have a _really good_ necromancer handy." She paused, considering. "One who isn't afraid of a little needlework."

"You're not filling me with confidence here, _Cerise_. I decide who goes in, understand me?" Heavy Hoof growled.

"I go with you and you might actually get one or two prisoners," Cerise said calmly. "I take Pinkie's shortcut and you might not. Your call."

Heavy Hoof turned to glower at Teagan who simply stared at the cave, ignoring him. He saw her trembling slightly. He frowned, knowing it wasn't fear making her shake. He wished it had been.

"I _hate_ politics." He growled finally. "If you go in I make no guarantees you'll come out again. I won't risk any of my ponies to pull your flanks out of the fire. Are we clear?"

"Works for me." Cerise said. Teagan just nodded, still struggling to keep control of her fury.

"That shortcut of yours," Meteor Swarm asked suddenly. "Can you get those mares out?"

Cerise shook her head. "Sweetie Belle pushed the limit of what Pinkie can bring along. No way could she carry any of those mares. Not to mention the shortcut will only work a couple of times a day."

"By Celestia's golden hooves," Heavy Hoof swore softly. "All right, if we can't do it the easy way we'll do it _our_ way. Get Night Fortune and Perfect Sky up here. I want that cave's layout mapped before we go in."

ooOoo

Night Fortune was a black unicorn—coat, mane and tail, with a cutie mark that was simply a gray circular outline on his black flank. Perfect Sky was a charcoal gray unicorn with matching mane and tail, and gray eyes. His cutie mark was almost invisible against his flank, it was, he always said when asked, a fog bank.

Neither unicorn was wearing armor, nor were they anywhere near as large as the other ponies in the unit. In fact even the medic Graceful Star was half a head taller than either of them.

"Gentlecolts, you know what I want. Go get it." Heavy Hoof said. To Teagan's amazement the two unicorns slowly faded away and then were gone. The weirdness helped to cool her rage a little.

"Um, what just happened?" She asked Meteor Swarm, who grinned.

"Oh, you mean those two? They're brothers." He answered, eyes dancing. "That's their special talent, why we call their squad the Ghosts. They can turn immaterial. Walk through walls unseen, unheard, and without leaving a scent. They could sneak past Cerberus himself! Blessed Celestia, I _love_ being part of this unit." He chuckled.

"They'll do recon, Lady Teagan." Heavy Hoof said quietly. "Drift in, poke around, drift out. When they do their thing not even Celestia's own wards can sense them."

"Good thing they're on our side. With a talent like that they'd be unstoppable as thieves."

The two ponies exchanged a glance.

"Funny you should mention that," Meteor Swarm said with a smirk. "They actually were thieves. Gave the Guard _fits_ for two solid years. Nobody was safe. The nobility were their favorite target. The more valuable the object, the more likely it was to vanish. Nobody had a clue how they were doing it.

"So how'd they get caught?" Teagan asked, fascinated.

"Same way all thieves do." Meteor Swarm shrugged. "They stole from the wrong pony."

"Yeah, but I mean if they can do that disappearing trick who could possibly catch them? Or keep them jailed if they did?" Teagan asked, desperate for some diversion.

"Well, I guess that's what _they_ thought too. See, stealing from Prince Blueblood and the nobles got old after a while." Meteor Swarm shook his head. "Not that stealing from _that _particular pony is terribly challenging—but anyway they set their sights higher. Listen to this—_they stole Princess Luna's favorite mane brush._"

Teagan barked an incredulous laugh. "You're kidding me!"

"As Celestia is my witness," Meteor Swarm said with a huge grin. "Oh, she was _livid_ about that brush! From what I heard it wasn't even that valuable, but the _reason_ it was her favorite was because it had been a gift from a young colt who told her she was his favorite princess."

"If castle gossip is to be believed her exact words were _Prankest us with thy thievery, wilt thou? Thou knowest not whom thee messes with! IT. IS. ON!" _Heavy Hoof added.

"Wait. So _Princess Luna_ declared a prank war on those two?" Teagan asked, eyes widening. "And they're still _alive?"_

"Oh yeah," Meteor Swarm laughed. "They never stood a chance. See, she kept quiet about the brush. The next day she declared that a new treasure had been recovered from the depths of Canterlot Mountain, a crystal phoenix figurine of incalculable value and immense historical significance. She announced it would be protected by members of Celestia's own Guard, the Sun Shield. She assured everyone it would be absolutely impossible for the Ghost to steal the figurine."

"Thus guaranteeing they would try." Teagan nodded.

"More than _try_, Lady Teagan. They stole it all right." Meteor's grin was pure evil. "Mind you, Luna didn't exactly make it easy for them. As promised the Sun Shield was out in force, along with wards and traps and all manner of magical mayhem."

"Let me guess. The figurine was booby trapped." Teagan said.

Meteor Swarm nodded happily. "_Ooooooh_, yeah! When the brothers stole it the tracking beacon on it went silent, of course. That tipped her off. When the beacon came back _on _she cast a little spell that triggered a Want-It-Need-It spell on the statue. Then, while the brothers were entranced with the figurine she and Princess Celestia teleported in and slipped spell suppression rings on their horns!"

"Ouch." Teagan winced. "No magic, no ghosting, right?"

"Yep." Meteor Swarm nodded. "Those two nearly had a heart attack when Luna canceled the Want-It-Need-It spell. But happily for everyone concerned, Princess Celestia made them an offer they couldn't refuse."

"To join Rolling Thunder." Teagan guessed.

"Where they get all the excitement and sneaky-time their scrawny undersized flanks can handle." Heavy Hoof said. "The only reason they took up theft in the first place was for the thrill of it. So now their craving can be sated for the good of Equestria."

"Princess Celestia never ceases to amaze me." Teagan chuckled. "The governments on my world have done similar things before, but I'm betting those two are utterly loyal now, aren't they? Fanatical even?"

"Well, when the Princess of the Sun offers you a job it tends to make an impression." Meteor Swarm pointed out. "And yeah, they're almost scary about it."

ooOoo

Alas, the respite from the grim reality of their mission was all too brief. While Teagan had been listening to Meteor Swarm's story Cerise had been watching the cave mouth, as patient as a cat at a mouse hole. After a few more minutes the brothers came back, phasing in so quietly no one noticed them until the gray one spoke.

"Commander, it's done." His voice was grim.

"What are we looking at?" Heavy Hoof asked.

"A slaughterhouse." The black unicorn swore bitterly. "The prisoners are in a large chamber, full of—stuff. Could have been a hospital surgery—except blood was splattered _everywhere_."

"Oh, and then there were the restraints on the operating tables." His brother added grimly. "We found two ponies dead on those tables. Their skin had been torn off." The gray unicorn shuddered, face turning blank. "Their throats had been slashed. From the freshness of the blood it couldn't have been more than a few minutes ago. There were six more mares in the room, manacled and yoked. They're alive but Celestia preserve them, I think they've all gone insane. They just lay there and stare at nothing. You can barely see them breathe."

"What about defenses? Guards? Physical barriers?" Heavy Hoof asked, turning to practical concerns. Teagan couldn't blame him. The report had made her rage return and it was beginning to turn cold. That scared her. She tried to ignore it but it was making her quiver with the need to smash something. She did her best to concentrate on the scouts' report.

"Here's the layout." Night Fortune, the black unicorn, lifted a quill and started to draw on the blank parchment Meteor Swarm had laid out while they were waiting.

"There's only one entrance, a tunnel about twenty feet long. The dragon is watching it, but he's dozing. Big son of a lizard too, at least a hundred feet long, if not bigger. I doubt he'll stay asleep very long once things get noisy. That's when you're gonna find out what a toasted marshmallow feels like."

"What else?" Heavy Hoof asked curtly.

"One large chamber, with three tunnels branching off. The one off to the left goes to that freak show of a chamber with the prisoners. The one in the middle seems to be a storeroom for supplies. The tunnel on the right goes to a barracks, which was empty, and more living quarters. From the way the barracks were junked up I'm betting diamond dogs laired there but there was no sign of them now. But there were a pair of unicorns, one an older stallion and the other a young mare. They had a troll with them too, and a griffon. From the way they were acting I'm betting the unicorn stallion was the boss. Dark red with a black mane and tail, he had a hammer and chisel for a cutie mark. There were gray streaks in his mane and his muzzle was graying too. I'd say he's late middle age, or slightly older."

"Pity you can't hear anything while ghosting." Meteor Swarm lamented. "Knowing their plans would be really helpful."

"Well, I guess I could have turned solid and listened." Night Fortune said sarcastically. "But I like my hide attached to my body, thanks."

The mood turned even grimmer.

"Where's the troll?" Teagan asked, careful to keep her voice from snarling. It wasn't easy.

"With the unicorn stallion." Perfect Sky answered her. "Looks like he might be the unicorn's bodyguard."

"He's the one that hurt Sweetie Belle." Teagan said, feeling her rage turn even colder. "He was in the kidnapping party. Any sign of other trolls?"

"No, ma'am," Perfect Sky shook his head. "In fact, it bothers me there's so few of them. There should be guards at least. But given the amount of supplies we saw I'd say this was an outpost for spying. Either they haven't been here that long or they're being resupplied regularly."

"Long enough to ponynap eight ponies." Heavy Hoof said. "And set up that lab."

Meteor Swarm snarled. "I can't believe ponies are involved in this. _Running_ it! "What kind of research requires skinning ponies alive anyway?"

"Creating undead." Cerise spoke for the first time since the scouts had returned.

Teagan's head snapped around to stare at the pink pony.

"Undead? Like zombies and vampires?" She asked. In her enraged state she didn't particularly care. Crush would blast them apart, living or dead.

"No," Cerise said heavily. "Worse. _Much_ worse. The average zombie is easy to deal with. They don't do much more than stagger around. As long as they don't bite you it's easy to destroy them. No, this sounds like draugr, and that's a corpse of a different color altogether."

Meteor Swarm cursed.

"Want to share with the rest of the class?" Teagan growled.

"I've heard of draugr. They can swim through stone, they're ten times as strong as an earth pony and normal weapons just bounce off them." Meteor Swarm said gloomily. "They're magic resistant, too. If this unicorn is able to make draugr we're going to need serious magical backup—the Horns at least, maybe even one of the princesses."

"That bad?" Heavy Hoof rolled his eyes. "Really?"

"Yes, _really_. Trust me on this, Commander. Rolling Thunder might be able to deal with one draugr but we'd be looking at fifty percent casualties—if we're lucky."

"You're serious, aren't you?" Heavy Hoof asked, eyes narrowing.

"_Yes_," Meteor Swarm hissed. "Two draugrs would annihilate us. They wouldn't even _notice_ the Hammerheads."

"Good thing you have me then, isn't it?" Teagan said with a savage grin. "Crush isn't a _normal_ weapon, Meteor Swarm. You keep the small fry busy and I'll deal with the draugr."

"I thought you were only here for the troll, Lady Teagan?" Heavy Hoof asked.

"That was before we stumbled on this _Saw_ reenactment, Commander." Teagan growled. "If these undead creatures are anything like the undead I've read about then destroying them would be an act of mercy."

"That just leaves the dragon." Heavy Hoof said. "Got any ideas on dealing with it?"

"What are the odds it's just a mercenary?" Teagan asked. Heavy Hoof snorted.

"What, you want to buy it off?" He asked incredulously.

"Maybe." Teagan said. "Or have Meteor Swarm control its mind. Convince it to go for a little evening constitutional. There's nothing more relaxing than a little flight before bedtime, right?"

"That actually wouldn't be a bad idea," Meteor Swarm admitted. "But there are two problems. One, I don't know any spells that could do that without looking the target in the eye, and second, this dragon's way too old to fall for a trick like that. If it were younger, say under a hundred, it might have been worth a shot."

"So it's too big to use magic against?" Teagan asked with a frown.

"Yeah. I mean, if Princess Celestia were casting the spell, sure, no problem. But I'm no alicorn. It wouldn't even notice most of my spells."

"What we need is an Alene." Teagan said. "But the closest one I know of is in Canterlot, which might as well be the moon for all the good it does us."

"What's an Alene?" Heavy Hoof asked.

"A troll wizard. He could create a new passage straight through the cliff and we could sneak the mares out, and then wait for them to come out and pick them off at our leisure." Teagan said. "Next time I invite myself along on a rescue mission I'm definitely bringing along an Alene. For that matter a half dozen trolls could probably do the same thing."

"Yes, well, we don't have them. What we do have, however, is Burning Obsidian and Meteor Swarm." Heavy Hoof said while staring at his subordinate. "I seem to recall a certain transmutation spell you demonstrated a while back. Turning a wall of stone into mud?"

"Ha! Yeah, that might work. This stuff is basalt, not limestone, but the principle's the same." Meteor Swarm said happily. "Old Fire Face didn't see much point since it didn't fall from the sky, but I convinced him to learn it anyway. None of the others have enough power to cast it. Myth turned her nose up at it, called it _crude_. Hey Sky, let's go do some magic. About how deep is the prisoner's cave in the cliff did you say?"

He and the two brothers went off to have a look at the situation.

Teagan settled back and closed her eyes, making her own plans with Crush in the privacy of her own head.

Cerise just kept staring expressionlessly at the cave mouth

ooOoo

An hour later Meteor Swarm came back. He was chortling.

"Hey boss! I think we got it." The unicorn was in high spirits. "The Ghosts are gonna go dust the bad guys' supplies with Sleepy Time, just in case it turns into a siege situation. Red Rhyme's gonna lay glue-mud in the main passage, while we're steadily mining our way through the cliff face. Night Fortune managed to find a thin spot between the outside of the cliff and the prisoners. The Ghosts did another look-see, seems like the head cheese is turning in early. The unicorn mare and the griffon are settling in for a game of craps while the troll is guarding his boss's door. The dragon's settled in for a good snooze, it didn't even twitch while Red Rhyme was laying the glue. We got 'em."

"Unless those draugr of yours show up." Heavy Hoof said sourly. "Good job. Don't suppose you could turn that mud back to stone could you? Seal off the prisoner's cave?"

"Oooh, _nasty_." Meteor Swarm chuckled. "But sorry, no can do. However, I _can_ merge the door with the stone around it and then reinforce the wood until it's as hard as iron. Won't stand up to dragon fire or a troll's claws, but it would slow them down a little."

"I want that troll." Teagan growled. "He's mine."

"Rescuing the mares is the primary objective, Lady Teagan. As far as I'm concerned it's the _only_ objective." Heavy Hoof said firmly. "If I can do that without fighting a dragon in its own lair I'm all for it. Let them rot in there for all I care."

"The mares come first." Teagan agreed. "But once they're clear I'm going to smash that cliff into rubble and squish them all like the cockroaches they are."

"Are all humans as bloodthirsty as you, Lady Teagan?" Heavy Hoof asked irritably.

"Tell me you want to breathe the same air as a unicorn that skins ponies." She challenged him. "Or let that troll that hurt Sweetie Belle get away with it? How is she, by the way?"

"Why don't you go see? I'm sure she'd be happy to see a friendly face." The Commander said, wanting some distance between him and the angry human queen. Her unconcealed rage was beginning to make him uneasy.

"Good idea. The tent your ponies set up, right?" Teagan asked.

The pony nodded. "Graceful Star is watching her. I'll send someone to fetch you when it's time."

"Try not to _forget_." Teagan gave him a level stare.

"You have my word, Your Majesty." Heavy Hoof replied.

Teagan went to visit Sweetie Belle, leaving Cerise behind. The pink pony was still fixated on the cave mouth and wasn't showing any signs of boredom. When Teagan slipped in the tent she found the unit's medic sitting beside a cot. In the cot, under a heavy blanket Sweetie Belle lay sleeping.

"How is she?" Teagan whispered.

"Well, once Silver Tale got her out of those horrid restraints I was able to get a good look." The medic said in a low voice. "Somepony had already cast a healing spell on her. Good thing, too. She had four broken ribs, one of which nicked her bowel and caused some internal bleeding. Without a healing spell she might have died from it."

"Damn. How is she now?" Teagan asked, trying to damp down the wrath that was clawing at her mind, begging her to find and smash the monsters that did this.

"Whoever healed her dealt with the bleeding and started knitting the breaks in the ribs." The unicorn replied. "They must have wanted her alive. I cast another healing spell to finish patching up her ribs and a sleep spell to let her rest. When she wakes up in the morning she's going to be really tender for the next few days, but she'll be able to walk. Fillies are resilient so I'm not worried about the damage to her body."

"But you are worried about damage to her mind?" Teagan asked, keeping her voice down.

"Yeah. She's been unconscious since we found her. I'm _hoping_ she's been unconscious since the troll attacked her. But if she regained consciousness while she was in that torture chamber…" Graceful Star shuddered. "Well, I pray to Celestia she didn't."

Just then Sweetie Belle cried out in her sleep and her eyes popped open.

"No! Stop! Please!" She gasped for breath, before catching sight of the unicorn and Teagan watching her with worried expressions.

"Was it just a nightmare?" Sweetie Belle asked. She whimpered as she tried to sit up and fell back, panting. Her face lost its hopeful expression and turned fearful.

"Hi Sweetie Belle. No, it wasn't a nightmare but we rescued you. You're safe now." Teagan knelt and took one of the filly's hooves in both hands. "Just rest now, ok? Everything's going to be all right."

"A troll chased me." Tears started to well up in her eyes. "He caught me and I thought I was going to _die!_ It hurt so _bad_, Teelo! I tried to run but—"

"Shh, it's ok, it's all over." Teagan ran her hand over the filly's mane. "You're safe now. You'll be going home soon, I promise. Till then Graceful Star will stay with you. She healed you but the best medicine right now is for you to sleep. You'll feel better in the morning."

"Where are you going?" Sweetie Belle asked fearfully. "Stay with me, Teelo! I'm scared! What if the troll comes back?"

"That's why I have to go, sweetheart. I'm going to make sure it won't ever come back." Teagan said, stroking the filly the way she would a dog. "That troll will never hurt you again. I _Pinkie_ promise."

Sweetie Belle's eyes widened. "You didn't make the signs, Teelo. You can't Pinkie Promise unless you do it right."

Teagan smiled. "Cross my heart," she did so, "and hope to fly," she flapped her arms, "stick a cupcake in my eye," she placed one hand over her eye. "There. Better?"

"Yes." Sweetie Belle nodded and settled back into her blankets. Graceful Star's horn started to glow gently. "Night, Teelo." Sweetie Belle yawned.

"Good night, Sweetie Belle. Sleep well." Teagan kissed her on the forehead below her horn.

Just before she went under completely the filly murmured "Hi, Princess Lu—," trailing off into a cute little snore.

A slender, lightly armored unicorn stepped into the tent.

"It's time to go, Lady Teagan," she said.

Teagan nodded, giving the peacefully sleeping filly one final look before leaving.

ooOoo

A black unicorn with a fiery red mane and tail stepped up to her and touched her with the red glow from his horn. His cutie mark was an erupting volcano.

"The silence spell only affects _you _and anything you're actually touching, Lady Teagan," The unicorn cautioned her. "But it's _very_ unstable. If you start moving too quickly the spell will fail. No running, no falling, no jumping. Understand?"

"Yes." Her voice came out muted, as though she were whispering.

Burning Obsidian chuckled. "Yeah, that's another side-effect. Basically the spell keeps you sneaky until you attack. We use it on night operations."

Teagan nodded. She was very glad to have the magical assistance. She thought Matt would certainly approve. Cerise shook her head when the unicorn approached her.

"No need." She said. He nodded and moved on to cast the spell on the rest of the unit.

After the preparations were made the entire unit approached the cliff from the side where the cliff curved inward, giving them a natural hiding place. Meteor Swarm and Burning Obsidian were joined by seven other unicorns forming a long line. The two mages lit their horns and a large area of the cliff face turned even darker, almost black, and immediately began to sag and flow. But even before it could touch the ground huge chunks of the dripping mud began to rapidly pass down the line of unicorns to land behind the last one with a soft and vaguely obscene _splorch_ noise.

The digging went rapidly and soon the line of unicorns was advancing step by slow step into the cliff.

Ten minutes later they broke through into the prisoner's chamber. Heavy Hoof held Teelo and Cerise back as Stomper and three other huge earth ponies (the smallest about Sun Hammer's size) went into the chamber along with Meteor Swarm

They were only gone a couple of minutes before quietly coming out, each of the big ponies draped with a pair of still bound but conscious mares with disturbingly blank-eyed stares. Meteor Swarm was the last one out. He nodded grimly to Heavy Hoof, who quietly ordered a retreat.

Seeing Teagan's glare he spoke with that muted spell voice.

"Don't worry. You'll get your chance at that troll, Your Majesty. We're going to make a big flashy entrance to grab their attention. It should lure the dragon into the glue trap in the tunnel. Once he's stuck you bust in through the back door. We'll keep the dragon busy while you and Cerise deal with the others. But remember Cerise, you owe me at least one prisoner. I'd prefer the unicorn stallion.

"No promises." Cerise said, eyes glittering. "You weren't the one who had to be merciful today."

Heavy Hoof winced. "Let me have the unicorn mare then. Here, take this." He reached into a bag slung over his armor and pulled out a heavy large ring. "It's a magic suppressor. Slip it over her horn as soon as you can. It locks automatically. She won't be able to cast anything."

Cerise took the ring.

"How will we know when to attack? I'd rather not have to deal with the dragon _and_ the rest of them." Teagan asked.

Heavy Hoof smiled. "Oh, you'll know. Trust me. Once he gets stuck that dragon is going to be _angry_. Angry dragons tend to be very vocal."

Cerise chuckled at his understated humor.

"Good luck. You _do_ understand if either of you get yourselves killed it would be very inconvenient for Equestria, right?" The commander asked dryly.

"We'll keep that in mind." Cerise said, smiling a very chilling smile. "Don't keep us waiting long, all right? It's _rude_."

"Well, we can't have _that_, now can we?" Heavy Hoof replied. "Be ready. It won't take long."

He left, leaving them free to enter the chamber.

ooOoo

The two unicorn brothers hadn't been lying. Teagan felt her gorge rise as she stepped into a chamber of horrors. A single glance took in the skinned corpses strapped to the bloody operating tables. If she hadn't already known they were ponies she wouldn't have been able to guess their species.

_The ones who did this will pay, _she silently promised the corpses. _We'll never stop hunting them, no matter how long it takes. Crush, get ready._

She felt its eyes open in her mind as she drew the club. Crush seemed to feed on her rage while echoing it back in a slowly building feedback loop. A dull red glow encased the entire club.

She could see where the prisoners had been kept. It almost looked like a bicycle rack, which would hold the bound ponies in a standing position—facing the operating tables. She shuddered, and Crush's glow began to brighten. Cerise eyed the club with casual interest.

After about ten minutes an amplified voice filtered into the chamber. She couldn't identify the speaker or what they were saying, but the rhythm and pacing were unmistakably a demand.

Cerise stalked to one side of the tunnel as Teagan raised Crush, waiting for the signal.

Suddenly the whole cavern seemed to vibrate with the loudest roar Teagan had ever heard. In the midst of her barely contained fury it was all she could do not to scream an answering challenge.

Then there came an all too familiar sound, one that sent chills down her spine.

The hissing roar of dragon's fire.

She wondered if Rolling Thunder had underestimated the dragon's strength. Before she could worry about it she heard a voice cursing loudly in Trollish in between the dragon's infuriated bellows.

The chamber door's door handle moved, and there was the sound of a body coming to an unexpected stop on the other side.

_Showtime_, she thought to Crush. The club didn't deign to reply, but the glow spread from the length of iron in her hands across her entire body.

Cerise grinned cheerily at her and waved, before crouching.

A smashing blow made the door shudder. There was a pause and then the door flexed a little from the sound of a massive impact, as if someone had thrown themselves bodily against it.

A troll's roar came from behind the door, followed by a rapid series of blows that echoed around the chamber. The door began to splinter, and then give way, revealing a set of gleaming black claws breaking through the wood. After a few moments the hole was big enough to admit a second set of claws.

A snarl heralded the top part of the door being literally torn apart, revealing the fuming face of an angry troll.

Something snapped inside Teagan. Without thinking she sprang forward, smashing Crush into that hideous face. She struck with all her rage and fury, but (having learned what Crush was capable of) she managed to use only a tiny fraction of its insanely massive magical weight.

There was a loud _smack _and the troll went flying backward, vanishing from sight. Teagan promptly hit the remains of the door with enough force to make it explode. Shards of iron-hard wood screamed down the tunnel.

"_Nice_." Cerise laughed and blurred into motion, disappearing after the troll in the blink of an eye. Teagan took off after the demon-possessed pony, running hard. In seconds she was confronted with the sight of a dragon's rear end threshing in the exit tunnel while a dead griffon sprawled in a puddle of blood next to the tunnel she knew led to the barracks and living quarters. The troll was slumped against the wall, growling as he pulled a chunk of door out of his arm.

When he saw Teagan he snarled and rose to his feet. Teagan saw he was male, but beyond the fact he wore no harness and only a black loincloth she had no idea which of the many clans he had belonged to.

No that it mattered. By troll law an outlaw was clanless.

"What is your name?" She asked coldly.

"Why should I tell you, _reker?_" He snorted.

"So I know what name to put on your tombstone." Teagan said calmly. "I'm willing to give you that much, you walking corpse."

That seemed to amuse the troll.

"I am Jern. And I shall need no tombstone, for your final resting place will be in my belly, strange creature. But come, I have told you my name, now tell me yours."

"I am Teagan Laoise, scion of Clan O'Gara, Lady of Equestria, the _Dronning av Fjellet_. And _this," _she lifted Crush, "is Mountain Heart. Come at me, Jern. It's long past time you were laid to rest."

"So those fools crowned a freak?" Jern laughed. "I am not afraid of you, _or _that overgrown stick. Come at _me_, little morsel. Once I eat you for an appetizer I'll eat that little filly _alive_ for the main course!"

"So sorry to disappoint you, Jern." Teagan smiled slightly, feeling her rage turn to ice. "She's gone, along with the half dozen mares you had stashed in your playroom."

"Not myplayroom, Your _Deliciousness_." The troll grinned. "That was Rimor's toy chest you pilfered. Now that he's gone I'm free to have a little fun. Since I can't have the filly I'll just eat a few of those guards outside after I snack on you."

Roaring the troll charged her, clearly intending to use his weight and reach to simply smash her like a grape. Teagan certainly had no intention of fighting an opponent that weighed ten times what she did on his own terms. She leaped sideways, using Crush to pull her out of harm's way.

The move actually saved her life as the troll unexpectedly leaped high in the air, lashing out with one taloned foot. The kick would have torn her face off if she hadn't jumped.

Aware now the outlaw troll was far more dangerous than she'd expected Teagan forced herself to calm down and remember all the lessons Matt had pounded into her stubborn skull over the last year. She instantly shifted Crush into a defensive position, watching the troll warily.

"Surprised you, did I?" Jern laughed mockingly. "I won't be so easy to lay to rest, Your Puny Majesty. Why don't you make it easy on yourself and give up? I'll make it quick."

"You talk too much." Teagan replied, scanning him for vulnerable places to strike. She cursed herself for not knowing a troll's weak points. Oh well. Joints were still joints, even on a troll. She imagined a groin hit would at least distract him, just as it would a man (_or woman,_ Matt's voice whispered in her head).

Crush _could_ deliver enough striking power to simply obliterate the troll the way she had Chrysalis's guards, but she suspected doing that would bring the cliff down on her head as well, so that meant she couldn't count on a single hit to kill him, although she'd probably be able to use enough weight to break even troll bones.

_Do not let his claws touch you, _Crush said in her mind. _They are as dangerous to you as I am to him._

_Got it. Parry, then try for a counter-attack against his hands or arms. Disable him first, and **then **kill him._

_Good, _Crush agreed. _Keep him from landing a blow. I will pull you away if you can't do it yourself._

For all his bravado Jern was cautious as he circled her. She turned in place, carefully placing her feet to stay balanced. She started weaving Crush in a defensive figure-8 that could easily change direction and become an unexpected attack.

It seemed Jern was familiar with club fighting techniques because he widened his circle a half step to prevent a surprise attack.

"You want some help, Teelo?" A calm voice asked. "I could kill him for you, no problem."

Teagan thought about it as Jern leaped back to evaluate this new threat.

"Sorry, Cerise." She said regretfully. "I swore I'd be the one to kill him. But thanks. What happened to the unicorns?"

"The old guy vanished." Cerise said, watching the troll. "He probably teleported out at the first sign of trouble—so t_ypical_. I dropped the mare before she realized I was a real threat, and ringed her horn for good measure. She's hogtied and sleeping the sleep of the wicked. Little tramp tried to fry me with a fireball, of all things. What is it with Equestrians and fire spells anyway?"

Jern chuckled again, a huge smirk on his face.

"My, my. Looks like I get desert too. You smell like a bakery, little pony. But Glitter's not a unicorn. Of course neither one of you will live long enough to discover what she really is."

"Do tell." Cerise yawned. "Splatter this chatterbox already, Teelo. I'm missing my beauty sleep."

"Cliché villain much?" Teagan asked the troll, rolling her eyes.

"Look who's talking." He snorted, and then unexpectedly leaped at her. Playing a hunch Teelo sprang upward, only to see him grin and jump after her, claws slicing at her foot. Using Crush she flipped head downward and smacked the back of his hand using as much of Crush's weight as she dared. He howled as all the bones of his hand were smashed into shards. He landed awkwardly, cradling his hand and staring at it.

Unfortunately Teagan couldn't follow through, she needed the time to change direction and flip herself back upright, landing a good twenty feet from him. By the time she recovered he was back in position, arm clamped against his side to hold the shattered hand as still as possible. His other arm was extended in front of him, elbow bent and claws spread.

"It's over Jern. Give it up and I'll make it quick." Teagan said.

"_Aldri tipse!" _The troll snarled.

"He just called you a bad name." Cerise said conversationally. "Bet that hand is really hurting, huh troll?"

"I am going to enjoy filleting you." He snarled at Cerise without taking his eyes off Teagan.

"Yeah, well I'm more dangerous than she is, Sunny Jim." Cerise scoffed. "Even if you manage to off her you're a thousand years too young to deal with me."

Now it was Teagan circling a carefully turning Jern. Even with Bullet Time the girl had no illusions about Jern being less dangerous than he had been. The troll still had double her reach and only had to get lucky once.

She feinted, provoking Jern into leaping and striking with a kick. She saw the lethal foot headed for her stomach in time to interpose Crush. Jern's foot hit Crush with the same flat _clack_ that Stomper's hooves had made. Before he could recover Teagan pivoted sharply and snapped the club across his kneecap, doubling the weight she'd unleashed on his hand.

The troll snapped downward and slammed against the ground with a howl of pain, his leg almost torn in half where Crush had struck. In spite of the agony he must have felt he was already slashing at her with his good hand, trying to slice her open. If Crush hadn't pulled her away at the last second the troll would have gutted her.

_Thanks, _she said silently to Crush.

_It's not over. Keep circling him. Force him to keep moving. With any luck he'll fall unconscious and then we can strike, _Crush advised her.

Too busy to register the fact that making the troll keep moving was basically torture, Teagan took Crush's advice. The troll scrabbled desperately with one good arm and one good leg, snarling in berserk fury, all the while fighting to keep facing her. Teagan abruptly reversed direction, a move the injured troll couldn't counter. She darted forward and smashed Jern's outstretched arm.

This time she heard the bone snap. Jern collapsed, giving her a brief opening. She took advantage of it and struck one final time.

It was as though she'd struck a watermelon filled with red and grey pulp. It sprayed everywhere, drenching her. Taking no chances she repeatedly slammed Crush into the troll's sternum and stomach, using even more of Crush's immense weight.

By the time she stepped back Jern's body was little more than a smashed pulp from the waist up, his head more or less non-existent.

Of course that's when Stomper's squad arrived…


End file.
